The Honeymoon Mission
by The Mother Rose
Summary: Sarutobi is at his wits end with team seven. Each one of the members are doing their level best to avoid their own duties and destinies and he's tired of it. Come see him solve his problems.Light-hearted for me. Female Naruto/Kakashi
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: In this story Kakashi is much younger than the bibliography I found for him says he is. Instead of being 27-28, he is only 23. This is because I want him to be younger and the timeline I found allowed for it. Kakashi did become a chunnin at age 6. That is cannon timeline and we are told he was coming home to celebrate his advancement with his father only to find Sakumo had committed sepaku in the library. This is also when Obito dies in Kakashi's first mission as team leader. We can conclude he was six when his best friend, he didn't know he needed, died. This seriously would have messed with anyone's head. So I gave him a few years to deal with his losses before he again moved up the ranks of the ninja world.**

**As for Naruto, I have made her a girl born when Kakashi is ten and a jounin for two years by that time. Sarutobi hides her under a high level genjutsu to protect her as much as possible from any abuse the villagers might try behind his back. Sarutobi takes his role as her adopted Jijii seriously in this fiction. He doesn't try to ignore her or pretend everything is fine for her. Everything else though will stay the same as much as I can. Of course, there will have to be small changes to make the story play out correctly. **

**Once again I used Natsu Sukai for Naruto's female name. As near as I can figure it out Natsu means Summer and Sukai means Day. So putting the two together means Summer Day but given the Japanese habit of writing backwards I may be naming her Day Summer instead of Summer Day. Heck, as far as I know, I'm supposed to mesh the two words together or something to make it a name. Like maybe Natsukai or Kainatsu or something. I don't know. So I just went with Natsu Sukai and left at that.**

**However, this story is definitely Alternate Universe as some very key Canon events do not occur in my tale here. This is a Kakashi/female Naruto story so of course I do not own it in any way shape or form. I just play around with Kishimoto's character's to keep my heart content and to keep from prying into my boys privacy more than I want them to know I do. What I do know they do is. . . .onry but I'm kind of afraid to find out more if you know what I mean. I mean the oldest is in his twenties now and there are just some things a Mom just really isn't meant to know about. I mean _really_ isn't meant to know.**

**Anyway, don't forget to review if you have a good idea to add, a good critique or just want to say you like it, you hate it, or whatever. I read all the reviews I get. Some more than once. So be sure you send them in and just because I don't seem to respond to them does not mean I did not see or understand your review. Occasionally I will take suggestions you make and work them into a new story because I can not make them fit in the present story without ruining it. Anyway I hope you enjoy this one and good reading.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

By The Mother Rose

Chapter One:

Naruto woke and stretched sinuously under the covering of a thin sheet. Her normal body temperature kept her too warm for heavier covering than a mere sheet. Looking at her alarm clock, she groaned. Time to get up for her last day at the academy, she thought as she tossed the covering aside and sat up. She rubbed her face, effectively smothering a jaw-breaking yawn before rising to her feet and making her way into her small bathroom for a quick shower. She did her business as quickly as possible before heading back to the privacy of her bedroom.

This room, unlike the rest of the apartment, was protected by a very high level jutsu to allow her a place to be herself. There were seals on the whole apartment but only in her bedroom was she free to be herself as she was born to be. The Hokage himself had cast the jutsu saying that she needed to be safe somewhere and the least he could do was to make sure she was safe while she slept. The unexpected benefit of the jutsu was that she actually knew exactly what she really looked like. So long as she was in her room she was the girl she had been born as.

She took the disgusting orange jumpsuit out of her closet after putting on fresh boxers and grabbing a smoke grey tee shirt for the day. She laid the jumpsuit on her bed as she dragged the tee on before sitting down at her vanity. She brushed her shoulder length, thick blonde hair into shining waves that rivaled the brightness of the sun on a cloudless summer day. Then she fixed it into the style everyone saw her wear. Spikes went every which way looking more of a sleep tousled mess than anything planned and sculpted. She rubbed scent-free lotion into her legs before pulling on the pants of the jumpsuit. Just because her henged self was a boy didn't mean she couldn't have soft legs since no one ever saw them anyway.

Done dressing she made her bed and grabbed the baggy jacket that went with the pants before heading to her small kitchenette for a bite to eat. A glance at the clock told her to be quick about it as the Hokage wanted to see her before she went to get her team assignment. Five minutes later she was on her way out the door as the boy the village knew as Uzumaki Naruto.

Sparkling blue eyes surveyed everything as she made her way cautiously to the tower where the Hokage was waiting. Idly she wondered what he needed that was more important than her team assignment but she would deny the old man nothing. One of only a few people in the entire village who knew she was a girl rather than the boy she portrayed herself to be, the Old Man was both her friend and her surrogate grandfather.

She made it to the tower and up to his office. As she entered the room through the passage only she used the henge fell away, revealing a four foot, six inch pixie with golden hair, large blue eyes, tanned skin and no whisker marks. She knew she was small for a twelve year old as most of the girls in her class were almost a foot taller than she was but it didn't really bother her that much. The passage she used had a door that wouldn't open if anyone was in the office. Sarutobi didn't want anybody to know her true gender. Well, at least anyone who didn't already know that was. When she needed to come see him she could enter this way or through the main halls but she preferred to keep her numerous visits done as quietly as she could to avoid shouts and screams of how he was favoring her unnecessarily. There was also an alarm on it that let him know she was there so he could get rid of whoever was in the office unless they already knew her true identity. Then he'd just open the door for her after telling them she was there and sealing the office against intruders.

Seeing the Old Man, she walked over to him and he lifted her onto his desk top so she'd be comfortable while they talked. "Morning, Jijii," she said.

"Morning, Sunshine," he greeted her. His nickname for her was directly related to her real name but only when they were alone in his office would he ever call her either the nickname or her given name. She was born Namikaze Natsu Sukai but that girl had been so buried in the records that she would never come to light unless she herself wished her to. Or something happened to Sarutobi before she learned to perform the henge she hid herself under. He was pretty insistent about not teaching it to her and, to her mind, his secrecy over it really didn't make a lot of sense. Just because he saw the danger to her now while he was alive didn't mean it would vanish if he died and as far as she knew he was the only person who knew the particulars of her henge. Therefore, if something happened to him before he taught it to her, or someone else, she would be exposed to the vultures and that just didn't make sense.

"So why did you need to see me this morning, Jijii?"

"First, do you want your Jounin instructor to know the truth? And second, I want an accurate profile, including picture, for your records. Since you aren't yet strong enough to be totally safe, I think the record showing your true physical self should be done here in the office and kept between the two of us until you are ready."

"Why should anyone else know? I mean, I understand why you told Iruka-niisan. After all, he needed to know why he was required to teach me those girl classes relating to things that only affect girls but does the Jounin have to know? I don't even know who that is yet. What if he or she is another who would use it against me or tell somebody who would?" Fear showed in her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her body.

"You have a valid concern but I am sure he wouldn't. The reason I ask is that it is likely you will get injured on a mission and I would feel a lot better about allowing you to take dangerous missions if someone did know and could help you keep it hidden."

"Oh." Her brows drew together as she considered her options carefully. Jijii tended to trust people more easily than she did but she also knew that where she was concerned he didn't trust anyone. Uneasily, she nodded and shuddered at one and the same time while closing her eyes. "Jijii, I trust you. You were right bout Iruka-niisan but I knew him also. So I had something to work with when it came to trusting him. But this time. . ."

"Ok, I can see your point. We can deal with that one later then." He smiled and put a friendly hand on her knee. "Now. You'll find some of your girl clothes behind the screen. So why don't you go get changed for the records shot I need? Then we are going to talk about potential husbands."

She groaned and rolled her eyes. As she went to change her clothes she thought again how much she wished he would drop the subject of marrying her off already. Sheesh, she was only twelve for pity's sake. After the picture was taken he showed her the pictures he was considering as potential mates. Kamizuki Izumo wasn't a bad choice age wise but she honestly didn't feel he was either ready for marriage yet or the right match for her. Hayate Gekko she rejected because she knew he was seriously and heavily involved with a woman in the Anbu corp. And the final guy, Namiashi Raidou, she rejected because he was homosexual and would not be at all interested in being wed to a real girl no matter how much he thought said girl was a boy. She told Sarutobi flat-out, "While Naruto might very well be able to hold Raidou's interest, for a few months at least, I never would. He is not into girls at all and never will be. Plus, he's a playboy. No one will hold him for very long unless they tie him up and refuse to let him ever be alone for more than a second. Even then his eye will wander where it pleases. You really need to listen more, Jijii. Although Gekko and his gal are very discreet, Raidou is anything but."

"Ok I'll keep looking but keep Izumo in mind. He's not a bad kid."

"Hai, Jijii but you know I already said no. And you know it won't change."

A few minutes later she was done and on her way out of the office, as Naruto, once again. She brushed past a silver haired man in the lobby who wore his headband in the most unusual fashion but since she was short on time if she wasn't to get in trouble with Iruka she didn't pause to inquire about it.

A few seconds after Naruto left the office the jounin gathered in the room to watch the kids receive their team assignments. Sarutobi had really been hoping Naruto would agree to let Kakashi in on the secret but he'd known the dainty girl wouldn't. The people of the village had given Naruto/Natsu no reason to blindly trust any of them. He knew none of them were openly mean to her any more. His having put more than one on public display or having forced them to stand by helplessly and watch as their own child or a sibling her age was put through a similar torturous situation had put a stop to the outright cruelty. That didn't mean they didn't let her know what they would like to do if the Hokage would let them.

Sarutobi had made skillful use of genjutsu to convince the adults of the village that he would not put up with them mistreating a child of his village for any reason. It didn't matter one bit to him what they thought said child was. But the genjutsu was only used when he had felt it would be most effective for the person to watch their own child undergo the same thing they had allowed Naruto to undergo or put the golden blond through themselves. Others got a visit to Ibiki to reinforce the lesson. Some were sent to the internment camps and would spent the rest of their lives growing food for the villages orphans or breaking rocks or undamning streams.

But he also knew, that due to the demon her Otousan had slammed into her belly seal, Natsu did not forget anything she experienced. Not ever. For all that Naruto seemed to be an empty headed air head who dreamed of only new flavors of ramen and turning the world orange, Natsu was a very different character. Though Naruto and Natsu did share a seriousness about their love for the village and the job they did to keep it safe and healthy. But it was also that demon that made finding a husband for his dainty little charge so difficult and no matter what she thought Sarutobi knew she needed a strong husband to protect her when he was gone. He was an old man who would not live forever. Kyuubi did have a mental link to her vessel though she could not influence Natsu's thoughts in any way any real person could. She could offer her advice and give warning of impending danger but she could not harm Natsu in any way. If she even tried to threaten the girl with harm, of a mental or emotional type, she would suffer ten times as much as Natsu did and, as the demon had already discovered, that included trying to influence the girl into having nothing but nightmares.

Natsu could allow Kyuubi to talk directly to Sarutobi and that was how Sarutobi knew what would happen if he forced Natsu to marry the wrong person. That was also how Sarutobi had found out the protection the seal held for Natsu, preventing the demon from harming the girl in any way. She could aid her but she could not do anything that would hurt her or knowingly cause her to get hurt. That included Naruto/Natsu trying to use the unpurified demon chakra since that chakra would hurt Naruto more than it would anyone else.

For now, though, he temporarily shelved the problem of finding Natsu an appropriate husband. He needed to figure out a way to get the girl to reveal herself to Kakashi. The jounin was a responsible man and highly capable but he could not protect what he did not know needed protecting. And Sarutobi trusted him. Natsu was correct about his level of trust to a large extent but she was wrong if she truly thought he placed that trust blindly in his people. He didn't. He knew their faults as well as he knew their strengths and he knew their backgrounds that would determine how they would act in any given circumstance. He knew Kakashi would take care of his dainty little girl because it was in the best interest of the village but also because of who she was born. Kakashi had been ten when his mentor and second father figure had died performing the ritual that caused Natsu to grow up alone. Kakashi had strong ties to not only his village but also to the people of his past.

He looked over the rest of the jounin who had gathered to watch the team assignments and noted Natsu seemed to be correct about Raidou. The guy was doing everything he could to attract the attention of the newest jounin to join the ranks not that Genma was either returning that interest or unaware of Raidou's flirtations. It seemed Genma was very aware of what Raidou was doing. Gekko was standing next to Yuugao and both were intently watching the proceedings in the ball on his desk but was he imagining they were a little more familiar with each other than was normal? Maybe. But then again maybe not. Natsu had said Gekko had a girlfriend he was very serious about and it was someone in the Anbu corp. Come to think about it, why were they here? They weren't taking a team this year. He hid a smirk as he watched his young people interact in ways they thought he didn't notice. Funny thing was if he hadn't just suggested Gekko and Raidou to his little girl he probably wouldn't have.

His thoughts meandered on as the gathering watched the proceedings and, when they were over, he took Kakashi to the homes of his latest team. Kakashi was well known for failing genin and Sarutobi had decided, since this team included Natsu as Naruto and the Uchiha Gaki and the Haruno girl, he would do his best to make sure the jounin gave the kids a fair chance at passing. The civilian council wanted the Uchiha out of the classroom. They didn't really care who was on his team but they were insistent that Kakashi be his instructor now. The ninja part of the council was a little less insistent. Their only concern was that the Uchiha be kept in the village lest he run off chasing power or his brother before he matured. Those councilmen were just as insistent however that Naruto be passed out of the classroom and placed on the team with the Uchiha as a stopgap to his running off. All of them had noticed Naruto could and would get the Uchiha's attention whenever necessary. And the final member was the daughter of a personal friend of Sarutobi's. Haruno Kiku did hold a civilian council seat but she had long ago learned to see what was real from what was not and as a return for her dedication to him and the village Sarutobi wanted to keep her daughter as safe as he could. The girl was the only person Kiku had left of her family and as such Sakura meant the world to Kiku.

The genin of Cell Seven did pass the jounin given test, much to the amazement of everyone in the ninja corp who knew anything of Kakashi and his tendency to fail genin for simply being too young in his opinion to take the life of a ninja seriously enough. What Kakashi didn't tell them was the fact that even if he'd wanted to he couldn't have failed this cell. It was just a lucky circumstance he really didn't want to fail them.

The Council had made it very clear he was to pass the Uchiha boy and keep the brat active until his seed ripened. The Council, being comprised of retired ninja and civilian businessmen, knew full well the brat would never make a good village ninja, being too obsessed with getting his revenge and the power necessary to attain it, for such a thing as meekly waiting and following orders. Well the ninja half knew that anyway. The civilians had no idea what made a good ninja from what didn't but Kakashi didn't care what the civilian councillors wanted. Sasuke was not a team player in anyone's definition of the word. The only thing he cared about was learning more jutsu and attaining power; no matter the cost to either himself or someone else.

Because of this, the council made it very clear to Kakashi he was to pass the brat, so the kid would be seen as an adult in the eyes of the villagers, and then see if he could change the boy around. If he could turn Sasuke into a team player, they might not marry the kid off as soon as his seed became viable. But if, by the time it did, he was still the anti-social punk he'd always been since the death of his clan, they would tie him down with a wife in order to create a new child for the village's shinobi forces in the future. Sasuke, they said, could still be treated well enough to honor their word while he created new children for the village.

Kakashi didn't like it but he did understand it. And he knew it was best for the village if they did not lose the sharingan just because Itachi had killed the whole clan except for his own younger brother and because Sasuke was a spoilt, whiny brat. The whininess was because of the torment his brother had put him through the night the clan died but the spoilt aspect had been done by the Council and the villagers themselves. By the time the Council realized what was happening with the last Uchiha, it was too late for them to really make a lot of difference in his life or personality. The villagers still didn't get it. To them, Sasuke was just a poor little orphan who needed all the love and care they could lavish on him. It didn't hurt that they knew the clan restoration laws of the village applied to him also. That meant he represented a way to upgrade the social position of their families and maybe someday become part of a clan through association. Those with unmarried daughters would not quit fawning over the boy and swelling his head with his own importance.

Still Kakashi knew it wasn't for the Uchiha he had passed the team at all. No, the Uzumaki boy held a lot more interest for the lazy jounin than the cut and dried Uchiha. Uzumaki was fun in the sun compared to the skulking in alleyways that was the Uchiha's personality. Kakashi was intrigued with Naruto because something about the kid didn't add up. It wasn't just the fact the kid wore orange in unreasonable amounts and yet could remain unseen standing in the center of a well lit room. Or even his reputation, that was definitely well earned, as the Prankster King of the village. While one part of that evaluation made him a mystery and the second made him fun, neither was what had the one-eyed jounin intrigued with the boy. He was a boy, wasn't he? You see, _that's_ what had the jounin trailing the kid and trying to trick any trickle of information from him he could. Kakashi's eyes and sense of touch told him Naruto was a boy in every way but his sense of smell said quite clearly the kid was anything but a boy. Intuition was also saying the kid was a girl. Sometimes, when the kid spoke, even his voice said he was a girl but other times there was no doubt it was a boy. Confusing in the least but it was also what got the cell past Kakashi's test. He absolutely loved a puzzle and could not resist solving them whenever he came across one. Of course, he also hated them for the very same reason. Everyone thought his little orange books were his biggest weakness but they were wrong. Puzzles were his weakness. He simply could not resist them. And right now Uzumaki was a puzzle Kakashi was going to solve one way or the other.

As for Naruto, his new Sensei was driving him nuts. The silver haired man was an open pervert who didn't give a flying flip who knew it. He read his little orange books wherever he wished to no matter who was around or how much attention they were paying to his reading material. He also had an uncomfortable habit of shadowing Naruto everywhere he went. Naruto knew, kind of, what the jounin was trying to do but he was damned if he'd make it easy for the pervert. He knew something about him bothered the jounin from the first day on and Naruto knew of only one thing about him that could bother someone like his new sensei. However, Naruto was no more inclined to trust the man now than he ever had been so his secret was staying safely locked behind his lips, thank you very much.

It might have been different if his Sensei had actually made some kind of an effort to actually teach the whole cell how to become better ninja but he didn't. He only taught Sasuke while Sakura sat on the edge of the clearing to coo and drool over the dark haired brooder hen. Luckily she didn't choose the same spot for drooling in every day or there would soon be a swamp in that location. Naruto had toyed with the idea of bringing her waterbottles to replenish her drool but figured she wouldn't get the point or the humor. And he really didn't like bumps on his head or balck eyes and loosened teeth that much. But lately Kakashi had stepped up the game of hide and seek they were playing. He was getting the most disagreeable missions he could find for them.

Understandably, Sakura refused to do them. She was a twelve year old girl and concerned with the same thing as any other twelve year old girl. Her appearance, compared to the appearance of other girls her age, was the most important thing in her world view. She would not do any mission that might mess up her clothes or that caused her to sweat, break a nail or get scratched up or in any other way disfigured. She was firmly convinced that if her dear Sasuke-kun ever once saw her in less than a perfectly groomed state she would forevermore lose her chance at his bed with his ring on her finger and until he committed himself to her there was no way she was going to agree to do anything that might make him shy away from her or look elsewhere.

Sasuke also refused to do the missions saying he was not an errand boy and errands had nothing to do with becoming a powerful ninja. His job was to learn as much as he could and grow to the point where he could defeat his enemies, not to paint some old codger's fence or reroof their barn. Besides, he was an Uchiha and Uchiha did not do menial labor. Naruto had snorted at that but did so silently. Sakura would take offence on Sasuke's behalf and Sakura taking offence was always displayed the same way. Two fists of raging glory painfully landing somewhere tender upon his person.

That left only Naruto to do the chores for the villagers. Naruto didn't really care that much. The chores needed to be done and most of the time the villagers requesting the work could not do it themselves and it gave Naruto a chance to get away from his team each day. So while Kakashi put the Uchiha through his paces, and Sakura drooled, Naruto went and did their chores. He created his clones and tried to think of how each mission could be translated into a shinobi skill and then work at it as if he was actually being taught that skill. Sometimes though he really didn't have any idea. How the heck did cleaning stalls relate to ninja techniques? But still he did the missions, being polite and well mannered to the people who were paying him for the work.

"Hello, Mr. Tsumoki. I understand you need help on the harvest today. Where would you like us to work?"

"Hello, Mrs. Chan. I understand your fence is in need of repair. If you'll show me where the problem is, I'll get it fixed right up for you."

"Good Morning, Mr. Lee. You're short a farmhand today. Where would you like me to work?

"Good Morning, Mrs. Itachou. You need some house repairs done? Could you give us a list and the supplies? We will get right on them for you.

"Good day, Mr. Hakitosuma. We understand you need help in the loading and unloading of your merchandise. If you will show us the way, we will get it done for you."

"Good day, Mr. Jissowaki. You said flooding is causing you to lose your crops. How can I help you with this?"

On and on the list went. Yet Naruto did every single chore often working until late in the evening on the said chores. He never complained and often the same people would request him time and again to aid them since he was a good worker who never complained or stuck his nose in the air over what they needed help with. At first, the villagers had been upset to see Naruto responding to their aid but over time they began to look forward to the days when the polite jinchuuriki was expected. Many of them were coming to a different opinion of the blond haired boy, seeing him less as a troublemaker or a demon than as what he was. Just one more child of their village. That he was polite and well mannered for all that he was clearly an orphan was a bonus to them. After a few times of Naruto showing up with his clones the villagers began to realize the rest of the team wasn't with him and more often then not told Naruto he did not need to waste his chakra on them. They took to buying things for him that they knew would be hard for him to get any other way given the overall attitude of the village as a whole towards him.

Kakashi often came by the job site and sat watching as Naruto did the work. Never once did he offer to help. Nor did he ever bring the other two with him when he came by. Instead, he would pretend to be reading that book while never once taking his eyes off Naruto. While it was flattering to have someone watching you in such a dedicated fashion, it creeped Naruto out. Naruto might be just as much a twelve year old girl as Sakura was but she wasn't into the whole got to be attractive to others stuff Sakura was into. So to have Kakashi devoting so much attention on her, whether in her henge or not, was just creepy.

The day Naruto had needed to unplug a nearby stream where a family of beaver had blocked the water with their dam home, Kakashi sat on a rock near the water's edge watching as a slender Naruto dove and swam around moving the dam to another location where the beaver family would survive just as well without ruining the farmer's crops. He had stripped off his orange suit and was wearing his boxers for the job. Though the stream wasn't all that deep at any one point it did have deeper areas and for Naruto those spots were very deep. Being smaller than most twelve year olds those areas were deep enough to submerge him.

Kakashi sat watching him work, a little alarmed when he realized how deep the water was until he realized Naruto could swim like a fish. He was impressed with how careful the kid was being and yet very confused as well. The wet boxers made it very clear the boy had all the right anatomy of any boy and yet. . .something didn't feel right. Something told him he was being incredibly dense about this kid. But for the life of him he couldn't figure out whether his orange wearing student was a boy or a girl.

"Naruto-chan," called the farmer who had hired him for the job of clearing the stream. "Come out of the water and eat. My Missus made some sandwiches and tea for you and me." This was the third job Naruto had done for the Jissowaki family and they always fed him for his help since they knew it was supposed to be three teens doing the chores instead of one and they knew it was hard for the blond to get good food on a regular basis that would not make him sick. So Naruto had no problem coming out of the water for the food. "Here, Naru-chan. Dry off some so you don't take a chill while we eat." He waited while Naruto did as he requested. Then passing the kid a teacup and a platter with his sandwich, he said, "Tell me, what was causing the problem?"

"Some beavers are building a dam and forcing the stream to go around it. There's three dams in the area but this new one is the one that was causing the issue. I'm moving it to a different location now. A careful eye should keep them from building new ones." He sat down and ate one of the sandwiches. "This is delicious. Tell your missus she's one heck of a good cook and if I was only a few years older I might be tempted to steal her away from you for that reason alone. I was actually dreaming about that meatloaf thing she made last time I came here." That was as close as Naruto would ever come to asking for anything from a villager and Mr. Jissowaki knew it.

The farmer laughed and said he'd relay the compliment. He also filed away the meatloaf comment to tell the Missus to make the boy a loaf of his own. "So when do we get to meet your teammates?"

"I really can't say. Sakura-chan is at that stage where she doesn't want to get dirty or messy so it might be awhile before I can convince her to come with me."

"So why do you let her get away with that? You know that attitude is no good for a ninja."

"She'll outgrow it. Jijii says we should all have a chance to be children during peacetime. Not really sure why but he believes it so," Naruto gave the farmer a shrug as he finished his second sandwich.

"So you'll be the grown-up and let her be the child. Naru-chan, that's not right. She's gonna have to grow up before you wind up in the field. Otherwise, you're gonna get hurt trying to protect her and still do your own job."

Naruto snorted. "Jissowaki-san, you know Jijii better than that. He isn't about to let me into the field so long as my team can't pull their weight. Sasuke will do alright in the field so long as he doesn't see whoever it is he wants to kill but she would only scream and cringe away waiting for Sasuke-kun to come riding in on a big white horse to save her from the big, scary bad guy and never notice Sasuke has his hands full with his own bad guy. So Jijii won't be sending us anywhere dangerous."

"But you know, Naru-chan, he won't always have a say in that. Your Sensei could pick up a d rank like this that's outside the village and Hokage-sama wouldn't necessarily know anything about it until you'd already left on the mission."

"True." Naruto frowned. "But you know there isn't anything I can do about it so why dwell on it?"

"Because you need to be ready, Little Bitty."

"Hey! I'm not that small," Naruto protested.

The farmer laughed and said, "Kid I've seen twelve year old fleas bigger than you." At Naruto's affronted pout, he conceded, "Though they aren't half as useful to have around. Ok, you finish with the stream and I'll tell the Missus you liked the food." He picked the pack up and walked off as Naruto went back into the stream to finish moving the beaver homes.

Kakashi made a mental note not to get any out of the village missions. The last thing he needed was an irate Hokage because something happened to Naruto or an irate council because something happened to Sasuke. He watched the kid heading back to the stream before taking off to join the farmer on his walk back to the farmhouse. "I wondered how long you were gonna stay hidden in the tree watching us."

"I was listening. Seems like you know Naruto pretty well."

"I guess so. Kid's a hard worker. Naru-chan is close to the Hokage and he's a nice boy regardless of the rumors about him."

"Why do you call him that?"

"What? Naru-chan? Well, the Missus pointed it out once when he was here to help with some carpentry work. Kid is as tiny and graceful as any girl and yet he's as strong as any boy his age and size could be expected to be." He laughed and said, "We tease him and tell him when he finally hits puberty and a growth spurt nobody's gonna recognize him."

"He is rather small for his age, isn't he? If he were a girl, though, I don't think anyone would notice it as much. But, as a ninja, that's actually an advantage for him. He's a smaller target and can fit places normal size people can't go."

"You'd know all about going places other people can't go. I remember you during the war, Boy. You went a lot of places, no child should ever go, simply because you were young enough or small enough to get the job done. I just thank Kami those days are over for now. It'd be terrible to see the innocence vanish out of Naru-chan's eyes the way it did out of yours." The two fell quiet as they remembered the Iwa/Konoha war and it's brutality. "Just remember we aren't at war now and start training that damn girl before Naru-chan gets hurt cause she didn't know how to protect herself. Naru-chan gets hurt cause you didn't train the girl and I can promise you a whole lot of upset people, not the least of which will be the Hokage and don't let the Missus catch you reading that book in front of Naru-chan. She'll give you a lesson the war didn't teach you. As for me, don't you even think about sending Naru-chan into some of those small places you used to go during the war. I may not be the warrior I was back then but I do still know how to whop a butt or two when I need to."

The farmer went into the house and Kakashi returned to the stream with the farmers words ringing in his ears. _Tiny and graceful as any girl but as strong as any boy his age and size._ Another damned contradiction. Naruto was tiny, strong and graceful. Kami damn it. He wasn't getting any closer to finding out the truth here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: As always Naruto verse isn't mine. Hope you are enjoying this story. Remeber reviews are a fanfic writers best friend so long as they are constructive. This is an Alternate Universe Female Naruto and Kakashi story. admit I have taken kernels of each characters personality to use as the cornerstones and then twisted everything else to adapt them as my own but I do not own them. That said on with the story.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Two:

Several weeks later a very frustrated Kakashi came into the office. His sight was warring with his sense of smell and he was being driven crazy with the complicated array of information. "Sir what the hell is the deal with Uzumaki? I know damn well my senses go haywire only when that brat is around so therefore he is the one messing everything up."

"Well, I'd hardly call that fair, Kakashi. He's only around you when the Haruno girl and the Uchiha lad are also."

"Sasuke is definitely as much of a boy as Sakura is an air-head," Kakashi snorted. "Naruto is the one who throws my senses into a tailspin and I want to know why."

"Well, you know what they say. Wish in one hand. . . ."

"Why won't you tell me?"

Sarutobi turned deadly serious and fixed his eyes on the frustrated jounin. "Kakashi, you are one of the best ninja in this village. I gave you two very difficult students to train. So far you have worked exclusively with only the one you find favorable. You have left the other two to flounder and do as they please. Unless you managed to pick up a disagreeable mission for them. You want to know why Naruto drives your senses crazy? Then try working with the kid and earning his trust."

Kakashi snorted. In his mind, he was thinking Sarutobi didn't know the boy as well as he thought he did if he thought the blond Gaki was distrustful of people.

"Kakashi, he doesn't trust you and the fact that he hasn't told you why your eyes are at war with your nose is proof that he doesn't."

"But he trusts everyone," Kakashi protested.

"And we all thought you to be a genius. I wonder why." Sarutobi trailed off and let it linger in the office. Kakashi took a few minutes to absorb the insult and think it through. Then he grew angry with the Sandaime and left the office. He went to the Obelisk to complain to his old team about the narrow minded people who only thought to spoil and over indulge some while letting others flounder never realizing he could have been talking about himself just as clearly as he thought he was talking about the Hokage.

Three more weeks passed. Kakashi still did his best to figure out why his senses were at war with each other whenever Naruto was around but he was getting no where fast as he tried to figure it out. He knew damn good and well Naruto was as much of a boy as Sasuke was for all that he was smaller. He trusted his senses but his nose was still insisting Naruto was not a boy at all. When he smelt blood on Naruto, he nearly panicked. He had arrived at the bridge in his normal fashion and right in the middle of his excuse for being tardy he got a good whiff of a menstrual flow he knew damn good and well did not belong to Sakura. She had been on her cycle the week before. Without another word and a distinctly wild look in his visible eye, he dismissed the team to go their own way convinced he was losing his mind.

Naruto made her way into the tower and up to the Hokage's office. Through the closed doors, she could hear Kakashi sounding off to the Old Man. She took a seat on the bench, not being willing to go in there right now for all that the secretary had indicated she could.

Naruto grinned at the secretary, "That's ok, Bara. I think I'll just wait it out."

"You're cruel," the secretary laughed.

"Ah." she pouted. "Hokage-sama can handle one poor, confused, one-eyed, perverted jounin, can't he?" Bara just laughed harder. Kotetsu and Izumo also grinned though they did their best to act like they weren't actively listening to every single word.

From inside the office, Sarutobi had heard her though and bellowed, "Naruto! Get in here."

Naruto grinned. "Guess not," he said wickedly as he went inside to the sound of snickering in the outer office.

Kakashi was pacing furiously off to one side. As soon as the door was shut, he rounded on the orange wearing kid. "What the hell is it with you? You look like a boy but you smell like a girl."

"Nothing is up with me, Sensei. At least I don't think so anyway," said Naruto adopting his 'I'm confused' look as Sarutobi just leaned back to watch his little master at work. "How can I look like a boy and smell like a girl? That's silly."

"I. . . .Don't. . . .KNOW! That's what I am asking you about!"

"Well, um. . .I don't know what to tell you, Sensei. Maybe you should go have your nose checked or something?" The blond head tilted to one side as a small finger traveled to the corner of his mouth thoughtfully. Clear confusion clouded Naruto's features as he pretended to really be thinking about the issue. One foot lightly tapped the rug he was standing on as a hand rested securely on his hip. "Can a sense of smell get broken, Jijii?" he asked casting his eyes at the old man, innocently.

Sarutobi had a hard time holding in his guffaws as Kakashi responded angrily, "I do not need to get my nose checked! I need to know what the deal is with you."

"You sure about that? Cause I think you do," Naruto said, not bothering with the last comment.

"And why is that?"

"Cause last time I went pee I was definitely still a boy. It'd be real obvious if my handle there was missing, don't you think?" Total innocent seriousness showed in every line of Naruto's form leaving absolutely no way for Kakashi to question the statement without being labeled as some sort of freak.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with total disgust but left the office in a swirl of leaves. Sarutobi waited until they were sure he was gone before he put up the privacy shield. But past the fading shimmer of the jutsu he could no longer hold back. He burst into laughter. The secretary and two door guards were also laughing. Once the Hokage wiped his eyes and composed himself, he said, "You're priceless. That was priceless. But seriously, you need to tell him, Naruto. You're gonna drive him crazy if you don't."

"And that would be a problem why?"

"He is one of the all around best ninja the village can field right now, Naruto. We need him to stay in control of his mind and you are seriously playing head games with him here. Just tell him. Please?"

"To what purpose, Jijii? So he can pretend he cares for a month or two or tell someone else and then I can get attacked in an alley or something? No thanks. He doesn't need to know until he learns to see more than the Uchiha's precious spoilt butt."

Sarutobi blew smoke out but he knew she had every right to feel as she did. Right now there was no way Kakashi would care to keep her identity a secret. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. Dealing with anything having to do with Naruto was never easy. But he had to admit it was not really her fault. The girl was just doing her best to survive in a world that only wanted her power or her death. Mentally he told himself, _I have to come up with a way to get Kakashi to see the real Naruto and realize just who she is. No way is Naruto going to let him find out any other way._

"So what brought you here today?"

"I'm not sure but I think he smelt my flow," she said, flushing bright red. "I started right as I got out of the shower this morning and, since I was late, I didn't have time to come here first."

Sarutobi looked at her quickly and then started laughing again. A few minutes later, he pulled himself together and strengthened her henge to cover odor better. "No wonder he was going nuts. No way could he have mistaken that particular scent as anything but what it was."

Naruto was looking at him confusedly. "Why not? It's just blood like any other."

"Not exactly, Naruto. That is old blood for all that it looks the same as the other blood you see when you get hurt. For him though, it smells completely different. Next moon just come see me before you go to practice. Even if you are late getting to practice. I'll make sure he doesn't get this experience again."

"Ok Jijii. Sounds good but you know you could just teach me the henge scent blocker thingy so I could do it myself."

"I could but I won't. This way I know you have to come see me for it and that gives me the chance to talk you into telling him."

"Well, I'm not going to. He doesn't deserve to know." She turned to leave intending to go home and sleep since her belly was hurting something fierce.

"Do you know how to care for yourself today, Naruto?"

"I'm gonna go home and have Kyu help me sleep through it. My belly hurts big time."

"Ok. I guess that'll work but I'm going to send Iruka to you later in the day for that shot you were told about. I will not take unnecessary chances with you."

Naruto nodded and left. She was as good as her word and spent the rest of the day hiding in her apartment. She was just slightly surprised by the amount of pain in her body as muscles unused to being used, cramped up. Iruka stopped by and gave her the shot to keep her body from being fertile, telling her he would give her a new shot every three months. He also made sure she had supplies and that she knew exactly what was going on in her real body. He explained the benefits of Midol to her and made sure Kyuubi heard as well so the demon would not flush the medication from her if she found it necessary to take it.

The next day, Naruto made sure she was pristine clean before she dressed in her boy clothes for the day. Grey boxers with a lighter grey tee shirt under the bright orange pants with the equally bright orange jacket over the shoulder and she left her bedroom once more becoming one hundred percent boy. She threw her soiled sheets into the washer and filled it with soap and stain remover to get the menstrual blood out of them before heading out of her rooms for the kitchen.

In the kitchen, he tossed his jacket on a spare counter and fixed his ramen before sitting down with a notebook and writing a couple more paragraphs in it. All the writings in the notebooks were his thoughts on life and what it was like to be a girl living as a boy and knowing the light was anything but a friend to you. Yet the darkness was an even bigger enemy. The ramen was ready to eat when Naruto finished writing so he ate it quickly not really wanting the stuff in his mouth any longer than necessary to get it from point A, the cup, to point B, his stomach.

Then he tossed his chopsticks towards the sink and left for his early morning jog around the village. He always did five miles around the village before meeting the team for practice even though they were all coming to realize Sasuke was the only one Kakashi found to be worthy of training. Sakura didn't really care as she still thought Sasuke cared for her and would protect her with everything he was learning to do. But Naruto hated it as she knew full well no one needed the training more than she did since no one in the village, let alone on her team, was in more danger than she was every minute of every freaking day. But the village valued the bloodline more than it did a jinchuuriki and always would.

The months went by slowly as Kakashi continued to train only Sasuke. He never asked for a mission outside the village nor did any of the genin. That had kind of surprised Kakashi but at the same time it didn't. He knew the council wanted Sasuke to stay in the village until his seed was viable so he figured even the Hokage was telling Naruto to be content with the missions they got though he did remember what the farmer had said to her about the missions he did get for the team (Naruto) to do and he always made sure it was within the village walls. As far as the Hokage and Naruto were concerned, it was actually the other way around but Kakashi still didn't know how tight the bond was between the Hokage and Naruto. Naruto was the one telling the Hokage to wait and be patient over the out of the village missions. They painted fences, weeded gardens, re-roofed the homes of the elderly or wealthy, filed inventory, or chased run-away pets. Well, Naruto did anyway.

Today's mission was to catch the Firelord's wife's run-away cat. It wasn't the first time the team had been given the mission and Naruto knew it wouldn't be the last. "I am not crawling through the forest or dirty alleyways after that damn cat, Sensei," said Sakura, looking horrified at the memory of how much she would stink and look a mess by the time the cat was caught.

"Nor will I waste my day catching it. Damn cat is not worth my time or attention. Teach me a new jutsu, Sensei," said Sasuke.

Kakashi just looked at Naruto. "Well, I guess that means you're on your own, Naruto. Bring the cat here when you catch it."

Naruto rolled his eyes and went to walk off. Kakashi growled in his ear, "Unless you want to tell me what you're hiding, that is. Then I might just make them do the mission with you."

"Go to Hell," Naruto snapped, walking away. Kakashi's low rumble of laughter burned in her ear as did his response.

"Not without you," he had replied. Instead of chasing after the damn cat right away, Naruto went to the tower first.

"Hi Bara," he greeted the secretary.

"Hi Naruto. You want to help him out today?"

"Sure. Might as well. Only got to chase the Daimyo's wife's errant misbehaving kitty today so no need to go anywhere else."

Bara gave the blond a sympathetic look and let him go into Sarutobi's office. Inside, her henge fell as usual when it was just the two of them and she took off the bulky jacket she wore. Golden blond hair fell across her shoulders as the henge fell and she and Sarutobi greeted each other. "What cha gotta do today, Old Man?" she asked, after getting her hug.

"Just more of the same, Sunshine. What about you? I know damn well he didn't tell you to come here."

"Nah. I have to go chase down Tora but you know that cat only wants a little breathing space. She'll fight like hell if I go after her too soon so I came to help you instead."

"And your team is out searching for her?"

Natsu snorted. "The Uchiha chase a run-away cat? Please Jijii. Get serious. No, both the Prince and Princess told him flat out they won't do it."

"And he accepted their decision?" Sarutobi growled.

"Oh he offered to make them do it with me," she said airily. Sarutobi raised a brow. "My secret for their co-operation and bitching at me for making them help me. Joy joy."

"That's it. I'm finding you a new team. This crap has gone far enough." Sarutobi was livid.

"And do you honestly think that will make anything better, Jijii? Come on. You know better than that. Whatever team is split up, to make room for me, is gonna be ticked off over it. And there's no guarantee the next jounin will wish to train me any more than Mr. Brown Nose does. Then there's Prince and Princess. You honestly think those two will start doing their share of the mission work? Or Mr. Brown Nose will actually train whoever replaces me with them any more than he trains either me or the Princess? Just leave it alone, Jijii. It'll work itself out eventually."

"You aren't their damn servant. And he has no right to hold your secret as hostage to them doing their work!"

"Oh well. He thinks he can. When I tell him what he wants to know, he'll make them do their share but he still won't train me." She ran her fingers through her hair and moved to the stack of paperwork. "Anyway, Jijii, let's just drop it and get some of this done before I have to go chase that cat again. It's fun to play with Tora, at least. Can't say the same of the painting or roofing missions."

"You do those alone too?"

"Hai. If the mission will make a mess of how the Princess looks or cause her to get sweaty, she won't do it. If it seems like it will take too much time, then the Prince won't do it either. And he won't make them if I won't spill. Since I won't spill, they don't work." She grinned at him. "But they wouldn't work anyway, Jijii, so his ploy won't work either."

Sarutobi sighed. "Maybe it'd be better to just tell him, Natsu. Who knows? Maybe he'll understand why you're hiding it and quit this stupid pandering he's doing."

"No, he won't. He'll insist I be myself and I will have to deal with Princess getting upset because Prince might look at me before he looks at her. And I will have to deal with a possessive Prince who feels entitled as well as a prowling jounin who also feels entitled to take liberties neither are entitled to. So no. I will not tell him."

"You think Sasuke would be attracted to you?"

"Hell no. I think it's more like he'd feel entitled to own me because I am not one of his stupid, walking, talking ovary test tubes."

"Oh." Confusion was clear in his expression as he tried to make sense of the situation._ Walking, Talking Ovary Test tubes? Where did she come up with this stuff?_

"It's like this, Jijii," she said on a sigh. "Prince is used to his fan-club. His fan-club includes every girl his age in the village. The thought that there is actually a girl here who isn't a part of his club, will have him determined to make me one. Well, Hinata isn't his fan either but he accepts her distance. He won't accept it from me. I am not of her social ranking and, to his way of thinking, I should be honored to be one of his harem of dithering, twittering walking wombs."

"Oh dear," murmured Sarutobi._ Dithering, Twittering, Walking Wombs? Sheesh. She really has a low opinion of the other girls her age_, he thought. He decided to drop the subject of Sasuke and moved to the one of the pair that really interested him. Hatake Kakashi. He really wanted to know how Natsu felt about the jounin. "So about Kakashi, Natsu. . ."

Natsu got a cagey look on her face. "No, Jijii. Whatever you're thinking, you just stop it right there," she said pointing a finger at him and shaking it warningly.

"You know you need a strong protector Natsu. He is strong. He's very strong actually."

"Jijii! Drop it. I'm too young to go getting married to anyone. For any reason. But especially not to someone like him." She started pacing and muttering under her breath. Sarutobi perked up. This was new. She rarely ever got this worked up over any of the suggestions he made as a possible spouse. He also realized she had not said he was the wrong person for her as she did with everyone else. Saying she was too young was not the same as saying he was the wrong guy. He hid a grin as he listened to her mutter while she paced. "Predatory. . .Kami-damned secret stealing . . . cagey damned jounin . . .prowling . . . stalking me like a hungry damned cat. . . always where he's not supposed to be. . . " Sarutobi's carefully hidden grin grew as she turned to pace in the other direction. The look on her face told Sarutobi all he needed to know. Natsu liked Kakashi. She liked him a lot. But because she really liked him, he also scared the hell out of her.

He distracted her and the two of them got to work on the mountain of never ending paperwork before him. Natsu did know her team, it seemed, but her remarks on Hatake's reaction to her true form were worth further consideration. Sarutobi had been thinking about the future a lot lately. He knew he needed to settle Natsu's future before he died of old age or got killed in office but he just hadn't found the right man, or one he felt he could trust to care for her. His old teammate, Iruka-kun and Kiku were all trying to help him but they knew if they didn't choose the right person it would be disastrous for everyone. But now he knew who the right man was. Maybe.

Hatake was single and from an old clan. He was eligible in every way for Natsu. He was old enough to settle down, whether he wanted to admit it or not, and was a perfect compliment to his tiny girl here. She was day while he was night; she was the sun shining bright and full of promise while he was the moon shining gently and persevering in it's glide across the sky but Sarutobi also knew now was not the time to mention it to Natsu again. For all that she liked the man, she didn't trust him and it seemed she might actually have good reason not to. And twenty-two was not too old for her either.

Later that day while Natsu was playing with Tora as Naruto, Sarutobi was reading through his files of the male ninja of Konoha. He was trying to do a personality match between Natsu and any one of them but always he kept coming back to Hatake.

Iruka came in just as Sarutobi was growling in frustration. The teacher took a look at the open files and smirked, "Still determined to find her a husband before you die?"

"Hai. Whether she knows it or not, she needs one and you know I'm right. If Asuma wasn't so dead set on Kurenai, I'd have him marry her. But he is and Kurenai likes my stubborn son as well."

"So who else are you considering?"

"That Sensei she has now but he's seriously pissing her off for all that she is attracted to him as well."

"She'll kill you if you mention it now but . . ." Iruka scratched his nose deep in thought. Sarutobi tensed in surprise. He'd been sure Iruka would be against the union also but that didn't seem to be the case.

When the chunnin remained silent and took to pacing, with his hands behind his back, Sarutobi asked, "So you think it'd be a good match?" Koharu and Haruno Kiku came in together just as he asked the question of Iruka. Koharu raised a brow in silent question and Sarutobi thumbed Kakashi's nin picture. She smirked but Kiku frowned considering the possibilities of the match-up.

"Hai. Hatake is possessive and protective of what is his. That is good for Natsu. She needs the protection his skill can provide for her and she also needs the cherishing his possessive streak will give her. Added to that is the fact that he is young enough and energetic enough to keep up with her. Plus each has the intelligence both need in their partner. Neither of them would ever be able to live with someone who was less intelligent then they are. As for her, she's stubborn enough to kick him back into line whenever he goes too far. And he will go too far just often enough for her to feel she's still viable as a person in her own right," Iruka finally answered.

"But how to get him to see her. . . That's what's giving me kaniptions right now. She refuses to tell him who she is and he's making her do all the hard work for the team because she won't tell him what she's hiding."

"So trick them into it," said Koharu.

"Huh? How?"

Kiku grinned. "I've been wanting to set my daughter straight on her ambitions as well and I think this gives us the perfect opportunity to handle all the blindness on Team Seven. Young Sasuke needs to face facts too."

"Ok but just how do we do this without all four of them freaking out?" asked a confused Iruka.

Koharu said, "Ok this is our goals for them in this mission. One: Get Kiku's daughter to face up to the fairy tale dreamworld she is living in and realize real life is not a fairy tale. Two: Get young Sasuke to name a possible wife or two for himself and realize his primary duty is the rebuilding of his clan. Three: Settle down the wild bachelor known as Hatake Kakashi and get him to realize the village also needs his heir. And four: Secure Natsu's future so she will be safe even if something happens to the four of us. Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, that pretty much covers everything," said a happy Sarutobi.

"Ok we'll have to trick Kakashi into marrying Natsu just as we'll have to trick her into revealing herself as a girl for him. She won't do it willingly no matter what he says or you threaten her with and he is absolutely convinced he does not need or want a wife," said Kiku.

"True but how far am I allowed to go with your daughter, Kiku? She is so lost in her fantasies right now she is a serious threat to the well-being of her team. Even Natsu doesn't want to take an out of the village mission and you know she was looking forward to finally learning how ninja camp. Sakura doesn't train or do any mission that isn't girly enough for her. And Kakashi doesn't get girly missions. For that matter she does absolutely nothingyou do not see her do before she leaves home. Natsu said she's even dieting to keep her figure and you know that is disastrous for a ninja."

Kiku frowned as she heard from the Hokage what a waste of space her daughter was being. She did know from her association with Sarutobi's inner court exactly how dangerous it was for ninja to diet as it lessened their chakra as well as their energy. Now she just looked at the old man and said, "How far do you wish to go?"

"I was thinking of the old honeymoon mission, only for Natsu and Hatake it'd be the real deal. I think it's the only way to really make Sasuke and Sakura wake up to their duties and responsibilities. And I know it's the only way to get Natsu to tell Hatake what he needs to know. It's also the only way we are going to get him tied down to her. If we were to simply walk up and tell him we want him to marry her, he'd be running before we finished saying the words."

The other three people in the office looked at each other consideringly. As one they began to grin. "Ok," said Kiku. "But in order to convince Sasuke the thing is legitimate we'll have to have Hiashi in on things as well."

"I know but I also know he has tried to find out who Sasuke is interested in and gotten nowhere to date so I think he'll go for it. My biggest worry is what will happen when Kakashi and Natsu find out their marriage isn't a mock-up."

"Oh, that's an easy one," smirked Iruka. Three sets of brows went up and he grinned, laughter sparkling in his black eyes. "Natsu will prank the hell out of you and Kakashi will pound you into the ground. Then they'll get over it and allow themselves to be happy."

The two women laughed as Sarutobi took on a pained expression. "Gee thanks for the warning, Iruka-kun."

"At least I did warn you," he replied not in the least bit repentant. "There was a time in my younger days when I wouldn't have, you know. I would have sold tickets and brought a lawn chair and popcorn for the show."

"That's true," Sarutobi said ruefully. "Why is it my best people seem to all have been pranksters in their childhood days?"

Koharu snorted, "Maybe because you were too? Don't even try to deny it, Sarutobi Hiruzen. I was there too remember." He grinned and she continued to speak but back on the subject of Natsu instead.

Koharu said, "I will be here to see Natsu-chan wed to Hatake. Leave the details to Kiku, Iruka and I while you get the mission picked out and written up. I'll talk to Hiashi and get him on the set-up. And Kiku and I can take care of getting the girls the clothes they will need for the mission. Iruka, you make sure they stay in the village and help Hiru get things set up for this. I hear Shi no Sato is a nice place this time of year." They all left Sarutobi to his work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As always Naruto verse isn't mine. None of the characters belong to me in any way shape or form. I just enjoy tweaking with them and making them do things they do not ever do in Kishimoto's world. Reviews are welcome but please remember this is an AU story and Naruto is a girl in this fic. Nor is Kakashi as old in this fic as he is in canon. When I looked up his personal information there was no real reason for him to have to be the age he's listed as being so I reworked his timeline to make him younger while still allowing for all the hallmarks that make him who he is. Therefore in this story he begins at age 22 and progresses to 23. Live with the difference.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Three:

Over the next few weeks Naruto continued to do the missions for his team and Kakashi continued to let the orange wearing boy know it would end as soon as he told him what he wanted to know. Naruto continued to tell him, loudly, vocally and in many different ways to go to hell and exactly what he could do with himself once he got there. Then he'd take off to do the missions.

He'd yell after Naruto he'd only go there if he took the blond with him. He never noticed he was showing up for the team meets closer and closer to the times he told them to meet him. Nor did he notice he was taking more care with his appearance and looking more alive and aware than he had in years. Kakashi was a lot more interested in his stubborn orange wearing student than he thought he was letting on. Though he still wanted to know what Naruto was hiding from him he wasn't really trying to find out anymore. He was a lot more into the game the two of them were playing than he was into discovering the answer to the puzzle that was Uzumaki Naruto. Every time Naruto told him to go to hell the silver haired jounin would grin a little bit more and that was being noted by more than one person in the village.

Sakura did nothing but pant after the Uchiha and a small swamp was beginning to form in the spot she normally chose for her drooling over him. The aforementioned Uchiha worked himself into the ground trying to refine what he already knew to a fine detail since Kakashi wasn't really interested in teaching him anything new these days. But both genin were noticing how much attention Kakashi was giving Naruto. Both knew it wasn't anything Naruto was really doing and there wasn't anything he could really do any differently. Kakashi was chasing Naruto. Naruto wasn't chasing Kakashi. So they shrugged and watched from the sidelines as their teammates played a game they weren't involved in. Each wondered when it would end and how.

Kakashi would just give him a new move to practice or tell him to refine what he had already learned and then take off to go spy on Naruto. He spent more of each day spying on his orange wearing student than he did doing anything else. Villagers were taking notice of his behavior. Those who knew Naruto would grin and shake their heads, thinking the Uzumaki magic was working again, while those who didn't, but knew Kakashi, wondered what he was doing. Needless to say Kakashi and Naruto were slowly drawing the attention of the entire village as they played their game.

At the tower, Iruka and Sarutobi watched the pair as they faced off in a battle of wills and waited. "I wish Hatake would give up. She won't give in and he should know that by now," said Sarutobi.

"He knows and it's exactly why he won't give in as you say. For the first time in ages, he's having fun," said Iruka. "Naruto is challenging him and that's something no one has done since Minato-Hokage died. By this time it isn't so much about what the secret is as it is over who will concede victory first. Kakashi doesn't give a hoot what the other two do with their day. He carefully selects the team mission based on what he believes Sasuke will find beneath him and Sakura will find too dirtying to do and those two genin know to find the missions not worth doing as well. Then he grins as he accepts that particular mission. I also know he shows up at the job sites to see how Naruto is progressing with it. His training these days is all about her and only about her. He won't help her with the mission but if he thinks she's doing it wrong he'll tell the contractor to show her how to do it after he shows them. And he won't let the contractors take advantage of her by trying to make her do more than is on the job list or lift things that are too heavy just so they can laugh at her when she falls under it. He makes the contractors take those workers to task lest he report the abuse of a genin to you or the mission office. Since they all know they won't be able to commission another mission if they are reported for abusing a genin sent to do a mission for them they take his threat seriously. But because of his behind the scenes interest in the missions she does, people are noticing what's going on. Now everyone in the village is taking note. Even the other jounin are noticing, though they think it's great. They all know how very young he is compared to most of them and all of them are talking about how he's showing more youthful energy and things of that nature. Gai is of course trying to take the credit but anyone who's been watching things here in the village these last few months knows why he's perked up and it doesn't have a thing to do with Gai."

Sarutobi stood there blinking for a few minutes before he grinned. "Good. Then it is time to move onto the next step. It's time to get to the paperwork for that mission we discussed a few months back. Koharu and Kiku tell me they have the wardrobes ready for the girls and the seamstress is done with Natsu's clothing though she wants pictures of it on her. Hiashi is on board as well. Apparently he's known for the last five years who Naruto really is and why we hid her the way we did. He gave his clan strict orders regarding Naruto and has followed through on them to make damn sure the clan knows he means business. So he's gonna help us make sure they don't get wind of it and run before we can get everything in place. All we have to do is get the mission set up and perform the ceremonies."

"And the signatures?"

"Already got them. Remember when the Daimyo came for his yearly check on the village? I pulled him in on the plan then and told him why it was necessary to trick them both into it. He is the one that presented it to them so Kakashi thinks the Daimyo actually authorized foreigners to oversee his team. Even if Kaakshi smelled a rat in that he couldn't say anything because it was the Daimyo himself who presented the paper for his signature. Sneaky man even did it in a way to where Sasuke and Sakura did not sign the same form Natsu and Kakashi did. The Daimyo used a fake document for Sasuke and Sakura but a real application for marriage for both Kakashi and little Natsu. It was even witnessed by you, me and the Daimyo. It's totally legal and binding on both of them. And the best part is neither of them have a clue."

Sarutobi gave Iruka his orders and watched as the respect for the deviousness of his commanding officer grew in the chunnin's eyes. By the time he was finished outlining his plan both men were grinning like fools. "Sasuke and Sakura are both thirteen now so, as far as the ninja community will be concerned, they are legal now. Natsu will turn thirteen in a month so she will be legal as well. That was the Daimyo's only stipulation. She has to be of legal age which is why we were forced to wait. Let's get this done."

A month later Team Seven was standing before Sarutobi receiving a new mission. Sarutobi sat behind his desk and motioned for Hiashi to close the doors of the office. Hiashi did so and activated the jutsu that would keep everything sealed into the room. And keep either Sasuke or Kakashi from fleeing the room as soon as they figured out what was occurring. Hiashi had been informed as to the true happenings for the day and he knew exactly how both men would react. He also knew the youngest of the foursome was likely to be the deadliest of them all, as that child was not nearly as slow as he/she let everyone believe she was. In Hiashi's eyes three of the foursome were still children no matter what anyone said. They were his daughter's age and since she was still his baby girl there was no way he could see Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura as adults. The group of adults had figured both the guys would try to run for the hills as soon as the truth of this meeting was exposed. But Hiashi thought they were misreading things if they honestly thought Naruto would simply stand still and take it without a word.

"All right. Are we ready now, Hiashi? Kiku?"

"Hai," both replied. Hiashi moved to stand beside Sasuke at the same time Kiku moved to stand beside Sakura as Iruka poured three cups full of fruit juice for them. Kiku placed a red and white kerchief on Sakura's head causing the girl to give her a funny look. Naruto was looking confused and standing at the back of the room with Kakashi who was also looking slightly confused. Kakashi knew Sasuke's test had come out positive when he'd been tested for virility over last few months but he had no clue what was happening now. Truth was, he hadn't really cared how Sasuke's test had come out. He was a lot more interested in Naruto and the game they were playing than in anything regarding Sasuke and Sakura.

"All right then. Sasuke you are being wed to Sakura today." Kakashi dropped his book. Naruto tilted his head and opened his mouth. Kakashi covered it automatically as he picked his book up. Sakura squealed in glee but then looked confused as the words sank in. Sarutobi went on speaking as if his ears weren't ringing the wedding bells for the couple.

"This is at the behest of your guardian, Hyuuga Hiashi, and the bride's mother, Haruno Kiku, and is in the best future interest of the village. Sasuke, Sakura will, from this day forward, be your wife in all ways for all her remaining days. When she is delivered of her first child, boy or girl, a second wife will be chosen for you and possibly a third as well. I don't really see a need for a fourth or fifth wife as of yet but that may change down the road."

Hiashi stood at Sasuke's side keeping a close eye on him and ready to catch him if his constitution should prove not up to the task. But he did not touch the Uchiha knowing it would be a slam to the boy's pride to do so. Hyuuga and Uchiha had that much in common. They did not openly ask for or take support from anyone they could not later deny having either had a choice about taking or taken at all.

While Sasuke was pale in shock, mumbling without sound 'pink haired sons' and Sakura silent in glee, Sarutobi went through the ceremony uniting them as a married couple. Sasuke was fighting to stay on his feet and hide his shaking as all he could see was a bevy of pink haired, red eyed sons all calling for different katon maneuvers while they were still in diapers. As a result he found his voice locked deep in his mental mind unable to break the barriers. Neither teen said a word as the ceremony drew to a close, since all Sakura could do was squeal when she was asked a question, and the two elders directed their actions and responses to the cues given by Sarutobi. When Hiashi pushed a cup of juice to Sasuke's lips, the beverage drippled down his chin and without thinking about it he grabbed the kerchief off Sakura's head to wipe it up before it could reach his white shorts. All the adults had to bite back laughter as Sakura put a hand up automatically to save her headpiece and screeched. Sasuke was shaking his head in denial but since he couldn't get his voice to work it didn't count. Nor did the wild panic in his black eyes as he deposited the kerchief back on her hair causing her to wail and snatch it off again.

Then when Kiku and Hiashi stepped back, pulling the newly wed couple with them and holding them firmly in place between them, Sarutobi motioned for Kakashi and Naruto to step forward. Wondering what was going to happen now, they did so as Hiashi opened the doors to allow Koharu and Iruka to enter the chambers. Naruto's eyes narrowed with suspicion as soon as he saw the pair. Turning that narrowed eyed gaze on the Hokage he waited for what the old man would do now. Sarutobi simply sealed the room to intruders once again before speaking again. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, we can get on with the chosen way of life of the four of you. I have a new mission for you and this little ceremony fits right in with it." He indicated Sasuke and Sakura.

Kakashi raised his silver brow wondering silently if this was worth putting away his book for. He decided it was better to put it away then to drop it again with Sarutobi's next words. He never noticed when Iruka plucked the book from his pouch and passed it off to Hiashi who hid it in his robes. Hatake would not be taking those books on this trip. "Naruto, henge please. I need you to be a girl for this mission." When Naruto stood stock still and glared at the old man with narrowed eyes, silently refusing to do as he was told, the old man waved his hands and in Naruto's place stood a tiny little girl with blond curls and big blue eyes in a pixie's little form. Naruto glanced at his body and by the time he raised his eyes again, fury radiated across her features followed quickly by shocked apprehension and dismay.

"What are you thinking, Jijii?" she growled at him in a very soft feminine purr of pure unadulterated menace. Kakashi was surprised to see Iruka move slightly away from the tiny girl and Sarutobi actually gulped as she began to actually stalk forward towards the aged man.

Hiashi was actually still thinking clearly enough to grab the back of her outfit and hold her in place since he had known she would not simply go into shock as Sasuke had. It seemed Hiashi had correctly deduced which of the four would be the most quick thinking and therefore dangerous. Sarutobi sent him a deeply thankful look as the head of the Hyuuga clan held the tiny girl in place. "Koharu, perhaps you will take young Naruto here into the back room and help him, I mean her, to change into the clothes, Hokage-sama had brought here for the new mission?" Hiashi asked Koharu.

Koharu grinned and motioned for Iruka to take Kiku's place as the two women stepped over to the little angry blonde girl. Each of them took her by an arm and escorted her into the back room to change her clothing. They talked to the small female the whole way but didn't give an inch in their grip on her elbows. A beautiful white kimono decorated with seed pearls, made to her specifications, was waiting for her. Diamonds and sapphire slivers decorated the sash that held the kimono wrapped around her body. On the dresser was a brush, hair pins and make-up. The women were determined Natsu would dress like a true bride for her wedding and have as close to a normal real ceremony as they could give her while still keeping her hidden from the rest of the world.

While the women were getting Naruto ready Hiashi brought out the bottle of Sake and refilled the wedding cups but this time it was real Sake he filled the cups with. Since this was not a mock marriage they would use the real thing whenever it was possible. Besides with Kakashi's nose he would know if they gave him fruit juice in place of sake. They weren't so worried about what he would say today about any of the proceedings since Sarutobi told him it was a mission and this was simply necessary for it to be carried out. But when he figured out there was no mission any hole he could pick in today's proceedings he would. If he chose to. And considering he didn't think he needed a wife at all, it was entirely likely he would choose to. Three flat stacked cups each were held on a serving tray designed specifically for this occasion. Sarutobi handed Kakashi a scroll to read for his role in the drama just as Koharu and Kiku came back into the office with a clearly fuming Naruto between them. Hiashi set the Sake cup arrangement on the desk just as the women escorted Naruto back in to stand beside Kakashi in front of the desk.

"Now, that we are all here again, as to the question you asked before Naruto, remember that paper you all signed over a month ago? Well, you have your first mission." He held up a specially prepared scroll to demonstrate. "You are to act as two married couples on their honeymoon and take this scroll to Shi no Sato. Once you are there, the scroll can be opened the morning after you arrive. Then, follow the directions on the scroll to complete the mission."

"Well, then you got a problem, Old Man," growled Natsu. "We aren't two married couples and we aren't going to be anytime soon, fancy set-up and get-up or not. Not to mention, I just turned thirteen a few freakin' days ago. Who in their bloody hell right mind would ever believe a thirteen year old was allowed to marry a raging lunatic of a prowling, stalking, Kami damned pervert like him?" She jerked her thumb at Kakashi, who was standing quite still with a deeply thoughtful look. Natsu continued her rant. "I'm a boy, damn it. And as such I am not marrying anyone. Not today or anytime soon Old Man."

Kakashi had gone totally still the minute he had seen Naruto being escorted back into the office from the back room. She wore a traditional white wedding kimono, complete with a white cloth to cover her upswept hair and white face paint. His thoughts were centered on why the adults had insisted Naruto be dressed in the traditional wedding attire while not doing so with Sakura. Hokage's words to Naruto brought him out of his head and back to his surroundings.

"Well, first off, as your guardian, you will marry who I tell you to when I tell you to." Sarutobi's voice went iron hard as he returned the small girl's stare. He waited until she seemed to understand this was her guardian speaking and not her Hokage. Then he continued in a softer voice, lying his pants off since he was the one who approved of her wedding dress. "But as for what's happening today, no. As beautiful as you look, you aren't actually marrying anyone. But I am going to perform a mock marriage for you in this form to Hatake for the mission. It will hold up to inspection should anyone check because I know just how damn good your henges are and I know for a fact that your henge will only fall under certain conditions, none of which will be present during this mission. So I will marry Natsu Sukai to Hatake Kakashi for the mission." Natsu's eyes narrowed when she heard him say her true name but before she could say a word he was speaking again.

Because he believed it to be a mock marriage Kakashi didn't raise a stink about it. He read from the scroll when he was directed to do so and then took the traditional three small sips from each of the Sake cups as directed. He handed each cup to Naruto, who took a small sip before he picked up the next cup. She was setting each cup back on the tray rather then handing the cups to Sarutobi as she was supposed to. But Sarutobi just reached out and took each one as she set it down anyway. He grinned as he took a sip before passing it to Koharu, who grinned before passing it to Iruka. Unlike the cups from Sasuke and Sakura's wedding these cups made it around the room before being placed back on the tray they had started out on. Natsu frowned at each one as it was put back. She even gave Hiashi a frown as he set the last one back on the tray to which he just gave that twitch of the lips that passed for a smile amongst the Hyuuga clan.

The only thing Kakashi didn't like was the fact that Sarutobi had chosen to give Naruto the Yondaime's last name for the ceremony. "Oi!" he said startled. "Why give him the Yondaime's name for this?"

"Hatake, look at her. Then look at his portrait. Now tell me will anyone doubt it is her name? He's gone. He won't mind. And since he is partially to blame for Naruto's life, I think lending the boy his name is the least he can, and would do, if he were here to have a say." Natsu was looking at the portrait herself, her expression a confused mixture of grief and pain blended equally with pride and remorse. "Besides I'm not giving you a choice. For the purposes of this mission, your wife is Namikaze Natsu Sukai."

"Hai but I don't like you using his name like this."

"Don't worry about it, Hatake. He wouldn't like it either," said a suspicious Natsu in her soft voice that rubbed along his nerves like velvet on the skin. She was very suspicious of why Sarutobi was using her birth name and making her be in her real form for the ceremony. But with her team right there she couldn't say a word about it. And Sarutobi didn't allow her to stay after the team left his office. "And Jijii. . .this isn't over. Not by a long shot." The glare she gave him had him gulping but damn it, he knew Kakashi was the right man.

Koharu took Naruto back into the back room to change her clothing again. This time she was dressed in a silver, gold and red kimono decorated with cranes, tortoises and plum blossoms as tradition demanded. Once the team was gone, the Daimyo and Jiraiya, the Toad Sennin, stepped out from the wall where they had been hidden all along.

"She's quick. I thought I was going to have to name a replacement for you by the end of the day there for a minute or two," said the Daimyo. "Definitely her Kaasan's daughter."

Sarutobi nodded giving a sigh of relief once more for Hiashi's quick thinking. Natsu knew exactly how to make her points known and felt when she thought someone was doing something, or forcing her into something that was not in her best interest.

Jiraiya chuckled, "She's a good match for him though. She'll keep him on his toes."

"Raising her has certainly been interesting. She's a good girl though. She really does try to stay out of trouble but given who she is that's pretty much impossible. Still she's been keeping Kakashi on his toes for a year now and he loves it. She doesn't realize it though. To her, he's just a pervert wanting to know what she considers none of his business but everyone can see he's totally caught by her. Not that he knows she really is a girl. She won't tell him. Nor does anyone else in the village know she's a girl. But everyone can see she has Kakashi wrapped around her little finger," sighed Sarutobi.

**Author Note: I looked up the traditional ritual for a Japanese wedding so I could have Naruto actually dressed correctly for the ceremony. According to the website I found, she is supposed to change clothing one more time into a brightly colored outfit but the site was not specific as to when she was to change into that outfit. The site claimed the Sake cups symbolize the wedding vows between the couple with the groom taking a sip from each of the cups before passing the cup to the bride. There are three cups but it was unclear as to what each cup represents or why there are so many of them. Maybe it's so both will be at least a little tipsy and therefore more relaxed for the activities to come after the formal ceremony? And the wedding ceremony is supposed to last all day beginning at dawn and ending at sunset. I could not do the entire wedding ceremony as that would have been wayyyy too obvious and even Sakura would have figured things out if I had a Shinto monk there to preform the ceremony for Natsu and Kakashi. Heck even Kakashi would have figured that one out. And the wedding ceremonies are supposed to take place at a Shinto Temple but we all know, seven adults present that know exactly what's going on or not there was absolutely no way Sarutobi would have been able to get Natsu to stand still for that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They are the property of someone else and he has absolutely no reason to ever even consider selling them so chances are that I ever will own them is slim to none. But I do own the idea behind this story. I am trying to create longer chapters but sometimes it just isn't too successful.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Four:

Sakura was given a pack prepared for her by her Kaasan while Iruka handed Naruto, now in Natsu's form, a case packed by Koharu and overseen by Hiashi for her. Natsu was still trying to get her answers as to why she was being forced to go on this mission as herself but neither Iruka nor any of the others would give her a chance to ask in private and there was no way in hell she'd ask in front of her team. Both Kakashi and Sasuke were also handed prepared packs but that was mainly because no one wanted to chance the type of things Kakashi would pack if he was allowed to pack for himself. Nor did they want Sasuke to have the time and space to disappear while obstensibly packing for his first out of the village mission. No one thought to tell the team Natsu had never been outside the village gates before but that was mainly because all the involved adults were nervously trying to keep from being pigeon-holed by Natsu or letting the guys slip away before they got them out the gates. An hour after the mission was given to them, they were on their way.

Kakashi stayed near Natsu, watching as she made her way through the trees towards Shi no Sato with them all. She was still dressed in the silver, red and gold kimono that was not at all fit for traveling as a ninja. He was expecting her to have trouble in the get-up but she didn't. He was surprised to note she was incredibly graceful in her movements and not at all awkward. Most guys had a hard time just walking as a girl would, let alone go leaping through trees using their chakra for it. And in that get-up, Kakashi rather thought even Sakura would have a hard time getting along but Natsu was making it look as natural as breathing. Nor was he getting the fabric caught on the little twigs and branches as he passed through them. Kakashi had also already noticed only he and Sasuke had tents and bedrolls. The two girls carried only their weapons and basic packs filled with clothes and food. When they stopped for lunch Sakura dove into her pack and squealed over what she saw it contained. Kakashi couldn't resist teasing Naruto. "Aren't you going to see what they packed for you?" he asked.

"Not even," was the teen's response only going so far as to change her shoes for the more ninja appropriate sandals that had been strapped to the side of the pack. "Given the way she is acting, if what is in my pack is the same as what she has, I would head right back to the village and beat the crap out of Jijii. Then find out who in their right mind ever thought I would even consider wearing that crap willingly and beat the crap out of them just on general principle. Then I'd hit them with my pervert busting technique and really watch the blood flow. I may have to be a girl for this mission but I'll be damned if I am a low class whore too."

"Hmm," purred Kakashi leering at Natsu. "Maybe I should take a look for myself."

"Stay out of my things," she growled, narrowing her eyes at him. "They may have assumed I'd actually wear that crap for this mission but I'll be damned if you fulfill your fantasies off what they packed for me. Besides I have no intention of wearing a single piece of it. You can go find other inspiration for your wet dreams. Go buy a blow-up doll when we get there and a couple other toys to use on yourself. I'm not doing a damn thing to help your fantasy life." He smirked at Naruto but said nothing as it occurred to him that for once his sight and sense of smell were not at war with each other. For the first time since he'd met this kid his senses, which were always trained on Naruto, were at peace with each other. His eye narrowed as he considered what it could mean. Plus, there was the level of smoldering anger Naruto was still clearly displaying. Add to that the two outfits the kid had worn today and the whole ceremony in the tower office and Kakashi had a lot to think about. he could verbally spar with her. . .him. . .later.

After checking out the contents of her pack and passing all the food related items to Natsu to carry, Sakura simply sat in the clearing doing nothing but dreaming. She told the small blonde, "I am on my Honeymoon. There's no way I am going to waste my time doing camp chores. So since you'll be doing the cooking and stuff, you should carry this food stock and make sure when you set up Sasuke-kun and I's tent, you give us plenty of privacy. We don't need you watching or listening to our pillowtalk. You're still nothing more than a child while I am not." Not once did she consider the possibility the team might get separated and those food stock make the difference between survival and death. Nor did it ever occur to her Natsu was not the least bit interested in anything that might happen inside Sasuke's tent. Or that Natsu was not her servant hired by Sasuke to take orders from her. In fact she had always assumed that once she did marry Sasuke she would have a bevy of servants to do her bidding so her treatment of Natsu as a servant was right in keeping with the fantasy she was living.

Luckily Sasuke did not hear Sakura giving Natsu orders. He was out of the camp refilling their water bottles for the afternoon trek, along with the teapot Natsu handed him, at the nearby spring. When he returned to the camp he fell to consulting with Kakashi over the best route to Shi no Sato. He sneered over how lazy Sakura was being but knew it would do no good to say anything yet. She was still too lost in her daydreams to hear anything she didn't want to hear.

When Kakashi had seen Sakura passing over all the food related items to Natsu, he took them and divided them into his and Sasuke's pack. He'd been a ninja long enough to know it was a bad idea for one person in the team to be the one carrying all the food. It was a bad idea to let Sakura get away with not carrying any of it but it was also her choice not to carry it since to her having it equalled having to actually lift a finger and work a little. He knew he would have to watch over her because she was choosing to be a civilian instead of a ninja but hopefully it wouldn't be all that much longer before she chose the life of a retired ninja and a simple society housewife over placing the lives of good ninja on the line all the time. Once she did retire he could fill her slot on the team with a better qualified person but until then he was stuck with her. At least he was for this mission.

Natsu had gathered together small sticks and twigs and got a fire going while Sasuke was getting the water. By the time he returned she had it ready to heat the water in the tea pot for their afternoon tea. Other than that she set out a cold lunch for the group to which Sakura sneered and asked if that was the best she could do. Natsu shrugged and said, "There's no need for a hot meal you wouldn't eat or appreciate anyway, Sakura-chan. This provides for the needs of our bodies and will give us the energy we need to continue on our way." She gave everyone a ration of cheese, dried meats and bread with fresh wild fruits for their luncheon. Sakura refused the bread and cheese as Natsu had known she would saying they would do nothing but make her fat. She tried to drop them in the dirt rather than eat them but Natsu rescued them both and wrapped them for later in the day when she knew Sakura appetite would get the better of her.

They hit the ninja highway again when Sakura gave up trying to get Sasuke to go off for some privacy with her. He was insisting that now was not the time for her antics. He was so pissed he could hardly see straight and had every intention of nullifying this so-called marriage as soon as this farce of a honeymoon he had no intention of doing anything to validate was over. No way did he find a fan-girl a suitable wife and damned if he'd perform like a stud bull for the village. Didn't they understand he needed to get rid of the situation with Itachi first? He toyed with the idea of switching spouses with Kakashi since it was clear to him Naruto didn't like this mission any more than he did. But then he remembered the way Sandaime had set it up. Somehow he knew Sakura would throw a hissy fit if he could even get Kakashi to agree. Sakura would have to pretend she was Natsu while Natsu pretended to be Sakura and from the way Kakashi was always watching Naruto, Sasuke just knew Kakashi would never agree to switching mates. Naruto might have to be portraying a girl for this mission but he was still the same person Kakashi had been chasing for over a year now. And Sasuke knew Kakashi was well aware of that fact. The clothing Sandaime had ready for Naruto to wear for the ceremony, Sasuke dismissed as nothing more than good foresight since Naruto was not a girl and therefore would not have been dressed appropriately for the role he was to play. Sasuke knew nothing of traditional wedding attire so the colors and designs of the outfits didn't tell him anything. Nor did the differences between his ceremony with Sakura and Kakashi's with Naruto as Natsu though he had noted them.

By the time they set up camp for the night, Kakashi was determined to find out from Naruto exactly what the hell was going on. He had pretty much convinced himself the mystery was solved as to what the secret was his orange wearing student had been hiding since they had become a team a little more than a year earlier. Watching her as she'd leapt through the trees all day had convinced him that Naruto was not the boy he thought he was. Now though, he found himself wanting to know her real name since it clearly wasn't Uzumaki Naruto. He watched the petite girl as she went through the normal activity of setting up the tents chosen for them by the elders back in the village. He heard her growling as she pondered the situation and knew exactly what she was thinking about. He grinned as he admitted he was actually looking forward to sharing a tent with her in this form. Her scent filled his nose, since he had positioned himself near her all day just in case she ran into trouble, and he found it to be enticing and natural in every way.

That wasn't what she was actually growling about though. She'd never set up a tent before since she'd never actually left the village until now. The sounds of nature were giving her a severe headache and trying to figure out how to set up the blasted tents wasn't helping since she was pretty much doing it alone. Sakura was sitting on her bum again doing nothing but dreaming of what Sasuke would look like with out his clothing and how he would unveil all her secrets for his eyes only. Sasuke was off taking care of the water bottles and gathering what larger pieces of firewood he could find for them. So that left only the two girls in the camp and Sakura was no help once Kakashi left to go find meat for dinner.

Sakura was looking forward to full nightfall. Kakashi had told her to keep watch since she wasn't doing anything to aid Natsu but though she nodded to show her compliance she hadn't actually heard him and therefore wasn't watching as she was supposed to be. She was lost in her fantasies of what the darkness would bring for her once she and Sasuke retired after dinner. She made no effort to aid Naruto in setting up the camp since it was her honeymoon and she shouldn't have to work while on her honeymoon. Nor did she offer to help in preparing the evening meal. She was therefore very surprised to hear Sasuke asking about the watch rotation.

"But Sasuke-kun," she whined. "It's our honeymoon. We should just go into our tent and let Sensei and Naruto handle the watch."

"First off, that is not Naruto. That is Natsu. All day you have been calling a girl by a boy's name and I am tired of it. I am perfectly sure Sensei is also tired of hearing you attempt to screw-up our mission. So remember the name," Sasuke growled at her. "Second, this is a mission like any other. Get your mind out of the gutter and onto the job at hand. I have no intention of fulfilling your fantasies anymore than Natsu intends to fulfill Sensei's. Third, for this mission they are also on their honeymoon or did you forget that detail? Fourth, it would be unfair to expect them to be a peak efficiency on half a nights sleep. If we do get into a conflict, I would much rather have them at their best than to have you squealing and useless once again."

"I am more useful than Naruto, Sasuke-kun," she protested.

"Yeah right. That's why you have a tent up to sleep in tonight. That's why you just finished a good wholesome nutritious dinner and why you will have clean dishes for breakfast in the morning. Because you are more useful than _Natsu_ is. No. You aren't. The only thing you are useful for is drooling and that is something I will never have a need for. And Sakura, even if they weren't on their honeymoon for this mission, Natsu still would not be your servant. Nor would Sensei. Do your share of the chores. You've slacked off enough today." He turned away giving Kakashi his full attention and not noticing her downcast eyes or tearful expression. "What is the watch breakdown?"

"You're first watch, followed by your _wife_." He stressed the word adding quietly for Sasuke's ears only. "You may not like her, Sasuke, but she is your legal wife. And not just for the purposes of this mission either. When you get back to the village, you will find her stuff has already been moved into your home and her things are hanging in your closet. Wrap your mind around the idea because that is the way it is. I'm not saying she did not deserve the set down you just gave her but next time try to deliver it in private. You do have to live with her and embarrassing your wife in front of others is not conductive to a good homelife."

Sasuke grimaced but nodded. "Noted Sensei. However with her for a wife there is no such thing as a good homelife. There's only a plce I don't wat to be any more than I have to be." Kakashi gave him a grin understanding exactly what Sasuke meant.

In his normal voice and at a volume loud enough to be heard by the girls Kakashi continued, "Now, Sakura, will awaken me and I will awaken Natsu for the morning shift." He practically purred when he said Naruto's female name, his eye going to where she sat near the fire, and, though he didn't say it, it was clear he was separating the girls' shifts so that Sakura could not take advantage of Natsu. Again. As she had been ever since they left the village. Privately he liked the way Natsu's name felt in his mouth and on his tongue. Unconsciously, he continued to purr quietly as he watched the tiny girl. Sasuke looked to Natsu and nodded, catching the implied order.

"She looks more . . .natural as a girl, doesn't she? Less clumsy, more graceful," he murmured just loud enough for Kakashi to hear him but definitely not loud enough for the girls to hear.

"Hai. I've been thinking that all day," Kakashi agreed. "But we know this is a henge, Sasuke. Even if it wasn't, those aren't kunoichi clothes. Don't forget that if there is a conflict. Like it or not, Natsu will be hampered in her ability to fight because of the clothes and the fact that she isn't used to fighting as a girl."

Again Sasuke nodded. Kakashi could have sworn he heard him say, "Too damn small, though. Are we sure she's thirteen?" Kakashi grinned as he mentally added, _'Just barely'_.

Natsu stayed up as late into the evening as she could staring into the embers of the fire and thinking about the day she'd just lived through. She'd taken a headache powder with her evening tea but the headache was still there; a low ridge of steady pressure that throbbed rhythmically. Unconsciously she rubbed her forehead and temples wincing as she did so. An hour into Sasuke's watch the dark haired brooder reminded the blonde they were on a mission and avoiding her 'husband' by refusing sleep was not conductive to having a good mission. "Besides sleep is what you need to get rid of that headache you're trying to act like you don't have. Kaasan used to get them too and she always took a powder with the same kind of tea you made for dinner and went to bed as soon as she could. You'll be better by your watch. But not if you keep avoiding Sensei."

"Who said he's gonna let me sleep if I go in the tent," she muttered to herself, grimacing but nodded wearily and went into the tent she was to share with their Sensei. Kakashi was waiting for her just as she thought he would be.

"Relax. I am not going to do anything I wouldn't do with you in your other form," Kakashi said, holding open the sleeping bag flap letting her see he was fully dressed. He had also noticed she had a headache she wouldn't mention to anyone though he had no idea the cause of it since he really didn't know all that much about her. "Sasuke is correct. This is a mission and I won't blow it by having you get freaked out over something like this. Just come to bed and go to sleep."

She had to admit she was tired as she nodded and did as he instructed. She climbed into the bag and closed her eyes. Though her heart was pounding in fear and she didn't expect to actually sleep, she was asleep within moments. She didn't know Kakashi used a jutsu to send her into sleep knowing she was too nervous to let herself fall asleep on her own. Kakashi watched her drift off and waited to see if the henge wavered at all. If it did, then this was Naruto under a henge. If it didn't, this was the secret the boy had been hiding and the boy was the true henge. He knew after having watched her all day but to him this was the final test.

And it also explained the mission which had puzzled Kakashi from the outset. He had been on missions requiring one half a team to portray a married couple but never a mission that required both halves of the team to portray themselves as married. But if the wily old man was trying to get Sasuke's child and force Naruto to reveal herself than it all made sense. And if the Hokage was her guardian for real, which he had no reason for doubting, then the whole set-up was easily explainable as necessary to force her to realize she could not spend her whole life hiding as a boy while forcing Sasuke to name a suitable wife or two.

While on the surface it would have been better to just make Naruto drop her henge in order to marry Sasuke Kakashi knew that would not have gotten the Old Man what he wanted at all. Kakashi knew Sandaime would not wish the Uchiha married to Uzumaki since he didn't believe the ceremony Sasuke had gone through with Sakura in the tower was a legitimate marriage ceremony though Sasuke had no reason to doubt it's validity. Especially if this was Naruto's real form. She was damn beautiful, in Kakashi's eyes, and every girl in the village would be out for her blood if she was wed to Sasuke. Nor would Sasuke find it a chore to lay with Natsu for the purposes of breeding a new generation of Uchiha. And in Kakashi's mind there was no way the Uchiha was deserving enough for Natsu nor mature enough to take care of her as she should be cared for. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he considered their mission and how it would have played out if Sasuke and Natsu had been the ones wed instead of Sasuke to Sakura and Natsu to him. But he found himself pitying Sasuke over who he was wed to.

However, he also knew why she was chosen of all the girls that chased the boy. A mission like this was possible with her where it wouldn't have been with a civilian girl. Also Sakura was definitely the most useless of the kunoichi of her year. Even those who had gone back to the academy would make better kunoichi than Sakura was. Therefore, her only real purpose on Cell Seven had been to get Sasuke used to having her around him daily and sleeping near him. Kakashi drifted into sleep, never noticing how he pulled his tent partner closer to him as he did so and spooned his long length to hers using his own body to shelter her in their sleep. Nor did he let his awareness of the lack of a shimmer over her form, penetrate his conscious mind. He had made note of it but he refused to think about it consciously as he smiled in his sleep snuggling the small girl at his side. Both arms were wrapped around her holding her to him with one of his long legs pinning her in place as well.

Six hours later, he was woken up by a whiny Sakura who wanted to go curl up next to Sasuke and get warm again. She was early for the end of her shift but when Kakashi saw what she was wearing he knew why. She was wearing a pink negligee, trimmed in grass green and made of large printed lace. Over it she had on a lace robe made of contrasting colors to stimulate a rosebush in bloom for her watch shift. Both left her arms and legs bare to the night and imagination of the person seeing her. He said nothing as he sent her off to bed, though. He only shook his head over the girl's foolishness. Sasuke had already told her point blank they would not have sex in the open like this. What part of 'this was a mission' did the pinkette not get?

A few seconds later he heard Sasuke yelp and her murmurs of how cold she was. He tuned them out after a snicker or two. He passed the hours of his watch thinking about girl Naruto and how he was going to get her to admit Natsu was who she really was. The game they were playing had just taken a turn on Naruto but he knew the foxy boy well enough to know he'd bounce back and give Kakashi hell for assuming a henge was the real deal even though Kakashi knew full well it wasn't a henge at all. Probably the only reason Naruto hadn't already done so was that headache he'd tried to hide he had. Come to think about it, where did that headache come from anyway? Naruto wasn't prone to headaches, was he? He tried to remember when the last time was he'd ever seen Naruto under the weather in any way at all. In over a year he couldn't remember ever seeing Naruto sick.

After his shift ended, Kakashi woke Natsu and watched carefully as she woke slowly. Consciously he was watching her for signs of her earlier headache but unconsciously he was watching for the little clues she'd drop without realizing she was. When he'd come into the tent she'd looked so adorable, he had been tempted to kiss her awake but he resisted it figuring she just might freak out. But he didn't miss the fact that she had rolled into the warmth of the spot he had vacated to stand his watch. She climbed from the warm sleeping bag and shivered in the slight chill before rubbing her eyes and straightening her clothes. Confusion showed for a few minutes until she remembered the mission they were on. The confusion was replaced by brief joy only to be smothered with an angry scowl and then a sigh of resignation as she left the tent and jumped into a nearby tree.

Kakashi lay awake, feeling the warmth left in the bag from her body and smelling her scent all around him, thinking about the play of emotions he had observed and wondering just what the kid had been thinking with each one. He decided the confusion was for why she was waking up in a strange tent when it was still dark out. That one was fairly easy if you assumed she was used to waking up as a girl instead of a boy. The joy was also easy since it was a mission out of the village that had her waking up in a tent in the full dark. But the angry scowl only made sense if it was true that Naruto was used to waking up female instead of male and that was something Kakashi just didn't know yet. The resignation was definitely related to her having to remain a girl for the duration of the mission.

Two days later, they reached the village with the inn they were supposed to find. They had made swift time on the journey once Sakura got it through her head there would be no honeymoon type behavior so long as they were in the wild on the open road. Surprisingly, to all of them, she had been the one pushing them to travel faster and longer each day taking shorter and shorter breaks so they could reach their destination faster. She did not make the mistake of wearing her new lingerie during the night a second time. Sasuke had told her when she had been wearing it the first night she should change while he stood his watch but she had honestly thought she could entice him into having sex once her shift ended if she had to cuddle up to him for warmth after her shift. He had pushed her away and chewed her a new one keep his voice low and letting his total disgust with her convince her of just how much her behavior was ticking him off. Since she didn't want him angry with her she listened to what he had to say and took the words to heart. He told her it was her own foolish mistake and he would not have her body impeding him if they came under attack during the night. He had made her change back into her mission clothes telling her in detail exactly what would happen to her should they come under attack while she was wearing that crap, as he called it. He reminded her again she was supposed to be a ninja on a mission and enemy ninja didn't give a kami damned drowned rat if it was her real honeymoon or not. They would attack and they would attempt to kill the team anyway. So she was to get her butt dressed and get ready to defend the damn team. Naruto might have to parade around as a girl when they all knew he couldn't fight like that but Sakura had no such excuse and if Naruto took injury because she was being an idiot Sasuke would never forget or forgive her for it. And given the way Kakashi acted around Naruto did she really think he'd forgive her if Naruto got hurt because of Sakura? She'd decided he was right and changed her clothing. The sooner this mission was done and they returned to Konoha the better. Then Naruto could be himself and she could go back to getting her husband to notice her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto verse or any character therein in this story. Only the idea for this is mine. Hope you are enjoying it so far. Reviews are appreciated. I know it's a short chapter but there's only so much that can happen right now.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Five:

When they had walked into the village Naruto, as Natsu, looked at everything. At first she kept up with the others but her head was in constant left to right motion as she tried to see everything the small town had to show her. Konoha was bigger but this was new and she wanted to see it all. She slowed and slower until finally she was barely moving at all. She stopped at every booth looking carefully at what she saw but made no attempt to touch any of it. Every crossroads she stopped and looked both ways before crossing the intersection. Sometimes she turned and took a few steps in one direction or another before one of the others would call her attention back to where they were headed. Wonder and curiosity were clear in her face as she took in the sights.

"Will you come on?" Sakura shouted at her. "You're slowing us up."

"It's so different," Natsu murmured.

"Well of course it is, Baka. You didn't expect it to be just like home, did you? Hi no Sato isn't and our class went there plenty of times," said Sakura.

"It isn't? We did? But I . . . I just . . . . assumed. . . ." Her voice trailed off as the sound of playing children caught her ears and her feet automatically turned in their direction.

"Natsu?" asked Kakashi, drawing her attention back to him. "Haven't you ever left Konoha before?" She looked back to where she thought the park was, shaking her head silently.

"Nani! Of course you have. We took field trips all the time at the academy," Sakura said.

"Naruto was never on them," said Sasuke. "I know. I looked for him to be sure he'd have a tent and supplies."

All of a sudden everything clicked into place for Kakashi. No wonder she'd been so quiet all the way here. It wasn't only being in a girl form and needing to concentrate on what she was doing. It was also being outside the village for the first time in her life. All the sights and sounds of the world were now being heard for the first time and she needed the silence to separate them into known reference samples. Her headache that first day also made perfect sense now. He hadn't allowed time for someone with her senses to adjust to a world full of new sounds in their dash to get here. He stepped back to her side and took a hold of her arm.

"Come on. I'll bring you out later to explore but for now let's go drop our bags off," he told her quietly. He led her down the street to the hotel they would be staying at. Sasuke and Sakura were arguing ahead of them with Sakura insisting that Naruto had to have attended at least one camp-out in order to be allowed to graduate and Sasuke insisting Naruto hadn't attended any. Sasuke told Sakura Naruto had a special pass for that requirement because he had no guardians to sign the waiver for him to go camping and therefore could not gain the permissions slip every child had to have for the camp-outs.

Kakashi asked Natsu about it and she wrinkled her nose. "He's sort of right. Jijii could have signed for me but he didn't think I'd be safe so he wouldn't. Neither would Koharu-Obasan. So they did give Iruka-nii a special pass for me to skip that requirement but only because they're the reason I wasn't allowed to go in the first place. They thought it was too dangerous for me since the academy teachers would be trying to keep an eye on active kids that outnumbered them four or five to one." She sighed. "I didn't really want to go once they explained they wouldn't be able to get to me if anything happened anyway. So the pass for the graduation was better."

When they checked in, the manager showed them to their rooms. Sakura and Sasuke had a single bedroom with an attached bathroom while Kakashi and Natsu got a suite of rooms. Sakura was tickled pink with the coziness of her and Sasuke's room thinking and remarking out loud how it would make a wonderful tale to tell their friends in later years when they were asked where their first son came from. She didn't see the shudder Sasuke could not repress or the horrified look on the manager as he took in the color of her hair. The manager quickly ran through a list of amenties directing Sasuke and Sakura's attention to the hours the diningroom was open for the customers use. and left the young couple to their own devices to show Natsu and Kakashi to their rooms instead.

Natsu blushed a fiery red which only got deeper the manager pulled the door of that room shut while opening the door to the suite of rooms Natsu and Kakashi would use. All ready his eyes had noted the differences between the two girls. This little one was gently bred and sheltered in ways that other girl only thought she was. Natsu couldn't hide the blush as she saw the single double wide bed in the room the manager showed to her and Kakashi. It had a deep red velvet cover printed with cranes, tortoises and plum blossoms; the traditional symbols for good luck and many blessings on a marriage. Behind the manager came serving maids who laid out a traditional wedding spread on the table in the room for Kakashi and Natsu. Lobster and a platter of fish, arranged to lay in a complete and unbroken circle, accompanied opened and prepared clams still on the shell. The shells were unbroken with the clam meat divided equally onto each half of the shell.

Sakura went into such squeals of joy over the accommodations that had been given to Sasuke and her, Natsu shudderred and quickly shut the door to their rooms on the noise. Kakashi chuckled as she did so since she was bracing the door with her hands as if that would be enough to stop the noise from reaching her. Luckily he was already in the room, and the serving girls weren't, as she did so. Otherwise, he might not have gotten in and they might not have gotten out. She might be only a few months younger than Sakura was but there was definitely a world of difference between the two girls.

Kakashi had also already swept the room for any devices they needed to know of and came up empty. Now he leaned against the window sill watching the small blond he was mock married to and was, surprisingly enough, wishing it wasn't a mock marriage at all. The girl was adorable. She turned once the door was closed and surveyed the room for every exit, identifying and cataloguing every single door and window in the place. Then they both heard the click and her eyes went wide. He raised a brow but as Natsu turned back to the door to test the knob he was moving to her side. It was locked. She frowned as she glared and muttered, "Jijii, you are sooo getting your butt kicked when I get back there."

Kakashi was directly behind her and clearly heard what she muttered. "And why is that?"

She jumped but turned her face up to him. Anger smoldered in the depth of her eyes as she growled, "None of your business, Sensei."

"Hm. I think it is if you think you can threaten to kick the Hokage's butt over a wrinkle in a mission, Natsu."

"I don't think I can. I know I can because this isn't any little unplanned wrinkle. That old goat is playing games. Games I don't appreciate." She kicked the door once before she moved around him to stand in the center of the room.

He turned to face her leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her with a lazy seeming eye. "And what game is he playing now? He's not even here. There's no way he knows someone locked us in our room."

"Don't bet on it. Senile old goat. Where are you sleeping? I'll pick my spot after you name yours."

"With you, of course," he said, watching her carefully. "For now, you are my wife. That means, whoever comes to make up that bed will expect to see we both slept in it. So we will." She gave him a suspicious look and he grinned. "It's still a mission, Natsu. Tent in the wild on the road or fancy room in a hotel. It's still a mission. I didn't molest you in the tent and I won't now. Relax. Besides, you aren't Sakura or Ino."_ A_s_ if I could ever even bring myself to think of touching either of them. Ewww._ But the final comment did the trick as her wariness vanished.

"You . . .Ino? But isn't she. . . .And Sakura?. . .I thought you didn't like Sakura-chan. You always shudder when she's around."

He decided to change the subject, moving from the door to the table as he did so. He hadn't known Naruto had seen him shudderring when Sakura was screeching or called him Kaka as if he'd be ok with a nickname like that. heck he hadn't known Naruto paid that much attention to him to notice his small movements like that one. "Well, maybe Sasuke and Sakura are still free to move about and will get our door unlocked for us." Without thinking about it he picked up a clam from the tray and ate it, watching as she joined him and picked at the fish.

"Uh. . .ok. Sure they will. . .Not." He raised a brow. "Sakura will be doing everything in her power to get Sasuke to bed her now that we have arrived. She knows she only has until you open that scroll Jijii gave you in the morning. So she won't give him a chance to get away from her now. And since they really are married he can't really tell her no and that's only if they aren't locked in as well though I suspect they are. Given Jijii knows how reluctant Sasuke is to do his duty in this way. At least, he is with her."

"So you think when we checked in the manager had orders to lock us in our rooms for the night?"

"It would be logical for their door to be locked," she nodded.

"But why ours?" As she shrugged, choosing not to tell him, he answered for himself. "Because this way we can truthfully say there was nothing we could do that would not cause damages to the hotel. I see. Sneaky Sandaime."

"Sneaky isn't _my_ word for him right now," she growled fixing a plate of food for herself.

After eating her fill Natsu went to get a shower. Not being used to sharing her living space, she forgot to grab a change of clothes before she did though. Deciding to be helpful, he went to her bag to find something for her to wear for sleeping. Besides he was curious as to what was in it. So far she hadn't opened it at all. He knew the bag would be full of honeymoon type clothing but hoped the Hokage had specified to whomever had done the shopping it was only for show. Natsu would kill if she had to wear something like Sakura had been wearing that first night on the road. He wasn't too sure he wouldn't kill someone over it if he had to see the little blonde in it. Even if he did know, to everyone else in the world, that same little blond was a boy. Or supposed to be a boy anyway. Even if all he ever had with that little blond was a student teacher relationship he still might just kill someone if he ever saw her in clothes like Sakura had been wearing. At that moment he decided if her bag was full of the same type of crap he was going out tomorrow and buying her new clothes. No way was he going to see her wearing that garbage for one minute longer than necessary.

So it was with relief he found a sky blue full length nightgown made of the finest silk with a matching robe, slippers and underwear and decided it would do. The plain looking gown had spaghetti straps and a modest cleavage in a form fitting bodice but flared under the breast to flow gently down to the ankles. When he put his hand under the silk to test it's transparency he was pleased to note the weave was not so fine or thin as to make the gown risque. It was just beautiful or it would be on Natsu.

His decision made he took the clothes to the bathroom and knocked briefly before opening the door and setting the clothes on the toilet seat lid. His eye had automatically gone to the shower and he stood there transfixed by her form as she washed her hair. Her body might be small, all of maybe four feet and eight or nine inches now, but it was absolutely perfect. The growth spurt of the last year had pushed her height up some but she was still tiny compared to other girls her age and definitely a midget compared to the boys. But each measurement was perfectly matched to the others making an overall picture of true undeniable beauty and grace. He snapped out of his shock as she moved to rinse the soap out of her hair by throwing her head up and into the spray. Quietly he stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him.

Meanwhile Natsu was just being informed of her bathroom visitor. **"Your mate brought you his choice of clothing for tonight. I think he liked what he saw when he looked at you, Kit."**

Natsu flushed beet red the color going from her brow to her chest before fading to invisibility. _"KYU! Don't say things like that. And.. . .And next time warn me when someone knocks on the door."_

**"I can't help it you were deep in thought and didn't hear him knock."**

_"What did he come in for again? And why does he like Ino? I know he doesn't like Sakura. But why Ino?"_

**"I don't think he does Kit. I know he liked what he saw here in this shower. And I know you were tense and nervous and not believing him. So I think he said whatever name he thought you'd recognize and relax. But as for why he came in, he brought you clothes to wear. So the first step in the tradition is met."**

_"Tradition?"_

**"Hai. Don't worry about it. Only demons have to observe this ritual. Not their vessels. But you will wear the clothes he brought you, Kit.**

_"Oh....kay....."_

**"It's not bad. You know I can't do anything to hurt you. We've been over this before. Many times, Kit. That monkey man hardwired the seal to make damn sure whatever I do to hurt you gets repaid in kind ten fold.** **So relax already. Your man wants you to also. Just finish your shower and let's see what his taste are."**

Kakashi paced the bedroom while she finished her shower. He had a sneaky suspicion that ceremony Sarutobi had put them through wasn't nearly as fake as he had assumed it was. Earlier he had been wishing his marriage wasn't so much a mock one after all but now. . .Somehow right now he had a feeling Sasuke wasn't the only guy on team seven to find himself saddled with a real wife he hadn't asked for and somehow he just bet Natsu knew it also. That's why the kid was so mad at the Hokage. She knew or at least suspected what he had done. One thing for sure though. If she did suspect or know he was her husband she wasn't any too happy about it. _Damn it, Sarutobi,_ he growled mentally. _Why the hell couldn't you just tell me and let me do my own courting? Sheesh._

Natsu came out wearing the clothes he had taken in for her and toweling her hair dry. He growled at her and snapped, "Explain to me exactly what you think Hokage-sama did that has you so ticked off with him, Naruto."

Her eyes opened and she looked at him carefully. He noted the gown was, as he'd thought, a perfect match to her eyes and a hell of a lot sexier on her than it appeared to be. He gulped quietly. Why hadn't he kept looking for a better gown? Maybe something in flannel or gingham. Hell that gown looked as if she'd modeled for it while the seamstress had cut and measured the specially dyed fabric. Damn. This image was going to haunt his dreams for sure now that he'd seen her in it. "Why?" She sat herself at the dressing table and looked at him through the mirror as she picked up her hairbrush and turning her attention to her hair.

"Because certain things are not adding up. Or rather I would say they are adding up but I am not liking how they are adding up."

"Then join the club. Neither do I. Nor does Sasuke. The only one happy with this whole mess is Sakura and that's because she's an immature fan-girl who doesn't know a damn thing about real life." Almost as a whisper, and with tear-filled smokey blue eyes she added, "But soon she will be the most unhappy of all of us. When she finds her husband really does not like her, she will be crushed. It will be made worse when she is impregnated artificially because he will not and probably can not perform with her for her." She looked at Kakashi in the mirror to find him looking seriously back at her.

"Sasuke is gay?" he asked and she nodded, hesitantly before shrugging. He had crossed the room and took the brush from her hand. Unthinkingly he began to pull the tangles from it channeling warm air currents through it to aid it in drying.

"I don't know. Maybe but I don't _think _he is," Some doubt clouded her voice but she explained what she knew anyhow. "There's an intern at the hospital he has been spending a lot of time with lately. More than he does with anyone else anyway. The guy wears glasses and has white hair but he's young. Not much older than we are. That's why Jijii let the council marry him off to Sakura. Kiku said she would be happy if she was his wife and able to turn a blind eye to his real lover so long as she had his child to love. The council wants his child because then it doesn't matter if Sasuke dies for his revenge. The village will still have an Uchiha. All we have to do is keep him in the village until the child is born healthy and viable. Though I'm sure Jijii was serious about the multiple wives part also."

"I don't think his intern will stand for multiple wives," snickered Kakashi. But then he sobered. "And what was the deal with us?"

Natsu didn't answer him. At least not the question he'd asked her. All she said was, "Go get a shower, Kakashi-Sensei. Body odor removing jutsu may be good enough for the field but real water and soap is always better." She took her brush back before standing up. Then she tiredly removed her robe and slid into bed, too sleepy now to argue with him over anything or care what he was thinking or feeling as he watched her.

He had watched her take off the robe and get into bed in awe. She moved as if being a girl was the most natural thing in the world to her. Maybe Sasuke had been right and this was her true form. She certainly was more graceful in this form than her boy form. He went to get his shower, taking her used towel with him. Never disagree with the female you're going to share sleeping space with, after all. He did want to wake up with all the parts Kami gave him still intact. And if he was right, he'd be spending a lot more nights lying beside her.

Two hours later, he was in bed and trying to stay on his own side so as not to freak out his bed partner. Natsu rolled over in her sleep, unconsciously seeking the warmth she had been feeling the last few nights of their journey here. She snuggled into his side and he found himself wrapping one arm around her to hold her close to him. Small she might be but she fit to his side as perfectly as if she'd been born and formed for just that purpose. Ah hell. Who was he kidding? He wanted to hold her just as much as it seemed she wanted to be held. He sighed as he gave in and wrapped the other arm about her turning to face her in the bed. His lips brushed her forehead as he whispered "Good night, Natsu Sukai. Sweet dreams."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did it probbly wouldn't be so popular because it more than likely would not be on TV at all. I'm not nice enough I guess. Anyway, only this idea is mine. Please send in your reviews. I do like to know how I am doing and if I am making any mistakes. I will also try to make this chapter longer. Yoosei=Fairy or Pixie**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Six:

The next morning the door to Kakashi and Natsu's suite was opened at sunrise by a maid wishing to know what the Good Master would like for breakfast for himself and his lady. Kakashi tiredly ordered something and went back to sleep refusing to let Natsu get up herself. Three hours later the maids brought their breakfast to the room and again woke them from a sound sleep. Natsu put on her robe and slippers, while Kakashi washed up and the maids set the table. When the girls were done with the table Natsu sat down and waited for Kakashi. He came out while the girls cleaned the bathroom, laid in fresh towels and made the bed with clean sheets.

They were just finishing the meal when Sasuke dragged a tearful Sakura into the room. He was tired and grumpy from a night of dealing with a whiny and horny Sakura but even so he did not miss watching Natsu walk to the bathroom with her day clothes in hand. Kakashi glared at Sasuke for watching Natsu like that but as soon as the bathroom door shut behind her Sasuke brought his attention back to the matter at hand. He wanted to find out the next step in their mission. Kakashi made them wait while Natsu finished getting ready to face the day. Sasuke wanted him to open the scroll while Natsu was changing but Kakashi said no and waited until Natsu came out of the bathroom fully dressed for the day before trying the scroll. When it wouldn't open he took a good look at it.

"Crap," he muttered.

"What?" asked Sasuke as Natsu simply raised a brow. Sakura wasn't paying any attention at all. She was looking around the suite with interest.

"It's an event seal."

"He put _what_ kind of seal on the scroll?" asked Natsu in a deadly purr exactly like the one he had first heard in the tower. Just as it had than the purr rubbed like velvet on his nerves and spiked his interest.

"An event seal," he said, trying his damnest to control his voice not to give away just how strong his desires were running right now. "I won't be able to open it until a certain event has taken place. What that event is, I don't know. The problem is I have no idea what event we are supposed to be waiting for. Logically, it would have to involve me since _I _am the one who was told to open it this morning."

Storm clouds were swirling in Natsu's eyes as she looked at Kakashi. "Don't you _even _try to tell me he doesn't need a butt kicking now. That old Pervert," she said in a voice she knew the other two wouldn't hear. They only had normal hearing. Kakashi simply gave her a grin and a raised brow. Sasuke sat down and put his chin on his hands. His brow furrowed as he thought about it. Kakashi was watching Natsu, who was sitting on the dressing table bench and patiently waiting for whatever came next. She even sat like a gently bred girl of high station, he thought. An angry one but still a gently bred girl nonetheless.

Sakura took advantage of the silence to ask, "Naruto? Where did you sleep last night? I don't see a pallet here anywhere."

"In the bed, Sakura-chan. Where did you think I was going to sleep? On the table?" Naruto responded.

"Then where did Sensei sleep? He should have the bed. He's older than we are, Naruto. And he's our Sensei. You shouldn't sleep in his bed. It isn't right for a thirteen year old boy to sleep in a full grown man's bed."

"Sakura," said Kakashi, interrupting her lecture, anger he didn't bother to hide clear in his voice. "For this mission, Natsu is my wife just as you are Sasuke's. Would you please quit forgetting that? Of course she slept in the bed beside me last night and she will do so again every night until we are returned to Konoha and this mission ends. Now that said, our sleeping arrangements or habits are none of your business. So you will kindly butt out."

"But Sensei," she protested. "It's wrong. It's not like he really is your wife or anything. He has no business being in your bed. He's not really a girl. He should make a bed on the floor or something. He should not be intruding on you like that. You're full grown and he hasn't even hit puberty yet. I mean he's still just a short little midget."

"And the maid that unlocked our door this morning, waking us up to get our breakfast order, and the one that set out our breakfast, as well as the two girls that made up our bed and cleaned our bathroom for us would have known immediately that my wife did not share my bed with me since those three woke us up a second time. Besides, I can think of a lot worse things I have done in my life then simply sharing a sleeping platform with a new teenager. I can also think of a lot of sights that were a whole lot more troubling to wake up to than a blue-eyed, blond haired pixie girl no matter who you think she is. In fact, there are few I can think of that are half as nice to wake up to."

Sakura was stumped for a comeback to that and sat down on the floor glowering at Natsu. Sasuke was sitting in Natsu's breakfast seat while Kakashi still held his own seat and Natsu was sitting at her dressing table leaving nowhere but the floor for Sakura. She spent the next several minutes looking from one person to the next, totally confused. As far as she knew this was supposed to be her honeymoon and she couldn't even get her new husband to willingly lay beside her in the bed. He'd slept on the floor last night claiming the hotel was a strange place and they were on a mission. Sleeping together in the bed was not necessary to completing the mission. Instead he had made the maids bring a pallet up to their room while he took Sakura to dinner. Yet here was Sensei saying he willingly shared his bed space with Naruto, of all people, and admitting he liked the way Naruto looked now. Not only that but he'd been comfortable enough sleeping next to Naruto to go back to sleep after the first maid left the room, requiring a second maid to awaken him again. She didn't know what was going on anymore.

Unlike Kakashi and Natsu, Sasuke and Sakura had not been locked in their room. Sasuke had escaped from Sakura for an hour before bed to take a walk and clear his head and bloodstream but there had been no reason for Sasuke to check on Natsu and Kakashi since the scroll was not due to be opened until this morning. By the time he had gone back to his room everything had been quiet in their room anyway. And by the time they had managed to cross the hall -Sakura needed her pretty time and she had lingered over breakfast, allowing everyone to see how handsome her young husband was- the door had been unlocked already.

"All right Sensei, see how this sounds to you," said Sasuke. "Hokage-sama handed you the scroll because you would recognize what kind of seal is on it and because you are team leader. But the event doesn't necessarily involve you at all."

"Makes sense but then, who does the event involve? He had to know there would be an event, and exactly what that event would be, in order to put the seal on the scroll," answered Kakashi, not bothering to point out that he was specifically told to open it this morning. He was too busy watching the play of thoughts and emotions Natsu was displaying. Very tiny, almost unnoticed, flickers showed she was listening closely and those tiny movements had all of Kakashi's attention.

"Focus, Sensei," snapped Sakura. "It has nothing to do with Baka there. Of that, I'm sure. This mission is a honeymoon mission. Or at least that's what I heard Kaasan refer to it as when she gave me my pack. So there's no way it has anything to do with Baka. Who the hell would ever even consider marrying the Baka there for real? We all know he's a total idiot as well as useless for anything requiring higher gross or fine motor control. Even Mother Nature ignores him to favor others. No girl is going to be interested enough in him for him to have anything to do on this mission."

As Sasuke growled at her to shut the hell up since it was clear she didn't have any god damned eyes in her head capable of seeing what was real, Kakashi found himself thinking, _I would since I know damn well this is the real deal._ But then her words fully sank in and his eye flew to her. He sat up straighter, ignoring Sasuke's comment and the mouthful of insults she'd tossed at Naruto altogether. Still he didn't miss the flicker of shock on Natsu's face either. "What did you say she called it?" he asked intently.

Flushing now that she was the center of attention Sakura cut her eyes to Sasuke and reached out tentatively for his hands as if he'd hold hands with her while she bravely answered their Sensei. He just stared at her pointedly and she let her hand fall to her lap. "A Honeymoon Mission. Why? Does that have a particular meaning?"

Kakashi began laughing. "Oh yeah. It certainly does. For you two," he said when he quit laughing. "You see, when there is a marriage, there is an event that is supposed to occur. I can't open this because it hasn't. But when you go back to your room remember this is a mission. It was given to us as such and therefore is just a mission. Remember what your academy instructor taught you about different types of missions and the acceptable behavior involved in fulfilling them. But also remember what I told you. Look Underneath the Underneath. There's always more to a story than you are told."

Sakura blushed and squealed at one and the same time while Sasuke blanched. Only Kakashi noticed Natsu also paled. Sakura was gleefully trying to pull Sasuke out of the room so they could complete the next phase of their mission. She knew what followed a wedding. All three of the teens knew what followed a wedding and from where Kakashi was sitting at least two of his three wanted nothing to do with the activity. Sasuke grudgingly went with Sakura but his expression was anything but a happy one. Kakashi looked after them, thoughtfully. Only when they were gone did he rise from his seat. He went over and closed the door before prowling over to where Natsu still sat watching him carefully.

"Now I wonder what part we play in this mission," he said teasingly as he knelt in front of her putting a hand to either side of her and boxing her in. "Cause you see, if we hadn't also been involved in this, the instructions given to me would have been different. Sarutobi may be old but he doesn't make that kind of mistake. So that means there is an event for the two of us in this mission also and I have a feeling it has to do with that secret you've been driving me crazy with for the last year or so, Naruto." He paused and watched as she licked her lips, her color ebbing and flowing from her face as she did so. he could tell her mind was racing trying to think of something to tell him or distract him with. He wasn't going to let her. Her eyes were gorgeous, wide open and as blue as they could be. She was starting to panic slightly as he leaned in closer and whispered, "Or should I call you Natsu? Because that is your real name, isn't it, my sensei's daughter? Namikaze Natsu Sukai. And now Hatake Natsu Sukai. Sasuke wasn't the only one being married against his will, was he?"

She eeped as the last question was asked against her lips. Kakashi pulled his mask down and closed in on his target. Her eyes fluttered closed as she gave in and opened her mouth to his questing tongue. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand holding her closer while the other held her head at just the right angle for him. When they finally broke for air she was flushed and more than a touch disheveled and Kakashi thought she looked even more desirable now than she had before. He growled and tightened his arms around her as he tried to get a grip on his hormones, which was a lot harder to do than it should be. But then all his senses were telling him this was his wife and he had every right to claim her as such.

However, it was also very clear to him that she wasn't ready to admit it yet. So he decided to go get a shower and wait for Sasuke and Sakura to come back in and try the seal themselves. Who knows. It could just be Sandaime thought Sasuke would do something to get around bedding Sakura if given the opportunity. But by putting it into Kakashi's hand and phrasing it the way he had, he had meant for Kakashi to be as sure as he possibly could that Sasuke did do his best to get a child on his new wife or giving a name for a real wife. He gave Natsu one more gentle kiss before rising to his full height and saying, "I will figure you out, Naruto/Natsu."

Two hours later, Sasuke came in and growled that as far as he was concerned someone needed their damned ass kicked royally, while holding his hand out for the scroll. "Agreed," muttered Natsu across the room and too quietly for Sasuke to hear. Kakashi heard her though and he grinned as he watched her looking out the window of their room. The scroll wouldn't open for Sasuke and he growled in total disgust while pondering what it could mean.

Sakura had come sauntering in while Sasuke was trying to open the scroll, looking sated and happy. She took the scroll from him before he could try to destroy it and studied the seal carefully. She also tried to open the scroll. Sasuke still hadn't bedded her but she had been hoping they could fool the seal into thinking they had. It didn't open though so maybe the seal was a lot smarter than she thought. Her brow furrowed as she studied it.

Sasuke took it away from her. He said, "Natsu, come here. You're better with seals than any of us. Plus, you have good eyes. What are these kanji? And why are they on this seal?"

"What kanji?" asked Kakashi, not having noticed them.

"Here. Around the edges. That one almost looks like my name and I could swear that one is hers," he added, jerking his thumb towards Sakura. After the crap he'd just dealt with from her saying her name was the last thing he could do if he was to remain civil. She'd literally tried to undress him as soon as she'd pulled him into the room. Damn octopus fangirl.

Kakashi was holding the scroll looking closely at the seal now. Natsu had come over but she made no move to take the scroll. Sasuke sighed and took it out of Kakashi's hands. "Trust me. You may know a lot about seals and all but no one sees more about them than she does. Almost like she has a bloodline about them or something. She was forever telling the instructors at school all about every seal they would let her close enough to fully see." He handed the scroll to Natsu, who nervously licked her lips and shut her eyes. The scroll trembled a little in her small hand before she took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Tell me what we need to do, Natsu."

Natsu flushed as Sasuke gave her a patient look, something he rarely ever gave anyone. She glanced at the seal and then moved to the night stand for the pad of paper and the pen there. She moved to the dressing table and grimaced at all the crap the hotel put on it before pushing it aside so she could work. Using her left hand, she drew out the seal, symbol by symbol, picking it apart one item at a time. Kakashi was watching, as she worked, wondering why he was just now noticing she was left handed. He thought back and realized it was probably because she had always used her right hand to write things before. But looking over her shoulder as she worked he could tell the drawings she made of the individual symbols were a lot neater now than they normally would be. He saw her stop when she got to the symbol for her own name. She growled softly and moved back to Sasuke's name instead.

Sasuke was also watching her with narrowed eyes. He had taken in the graceful way she had moved about the room, never messing with or tugging at her clothing, as he, or any other guy, would have been. Even when she'd caught sight of herself in the mirror, she'd not given any thought to the image that had been revealed in it. The only indication she had given that she might not be what she appeared to be was when she had seen all the cosmetic stuff on the dressing table but that might have been more of a personal preference thing than it was anything else. She had moved her hairbrush aside with more care than she had shown for the bottles of perfume.

When the last of the symbols were drawn out except for her name, she began to translate it for them. She hissed when she translated Kakashi's part and hastily scratched it out, totally blacking it out of the page. No way would she tell him he had to do anything of the kind.

Because he was reading over her shoulder, though, he had seen what she had transcribed so he knew what the scroll required of him. He grinned as he watched her blacken it from the page. A fire lit in his eyes as he contemplated how he was going to enjoy doing what he was required to do. But he let her get away with it. For now. Later was soon enough to confront her over it and find out what it was she was required to do. Because he also knew her name was on the scroll as well and she had done nothing to indicate her own duties regarding the opening of the scroll.

She rewrote Sasuke and Sakura's portion of the scroll requirements and handed it to Kakashi. The whole thing was done without her saying a single word. "I think you missed some of it, Naruto," said Sakura. "I know that was Kakashi-Sensei's name so it would logically follow he has to do something also for us to be able to open the scroll. Besides, Hokage-sama did hand him the scroll telling him when to open it."

"Of course his name is on the scroll. He is our team leader. It is his duty to see to it we do as required of us at all times so why not this time as well? The whole seal revolves around things he needs to see to it occur, Sakura-chan. You might say it is his mission statement," Natsu said. Kakashi had to hand it to her. She hadn't lied but she hadn't admitted to the truth either. His task was a hell of a lot more specific than that and she knew it. He hid a smirk as she skillfully lied to Sakura.

Sasuke and Sakura eventually left the room. Sakura wanted to go window shopping and Kakashi told Sasuke it wasn't a bad idea for them to be seen outside their rooms once in a while. And as a newly wed man, he wasn't supposed to be keen on the idea of allowing his wife out of his sight. Shopping would be a normal activity. He also warned Sakura against the idea of spending too much of Sasuke's money. "You may be his wife now, Sakura, but he doesn't get his inheritance until you produce a viable child. Especially since he did not choose to wed you. He has only the normal pay of a genin to support the two of you on."

After they left, Kakashi had four comfortable chairs brought into his and Natsu's rooms and placed around the table so they could hold daily meetings to discuss why the scroll wasn't opening. Then he'd spent several hours that afternoon just sitting at that table thinking things through. He played with the scroll while he did so remembering what he'd seen Natsu writing on the pad next to his name. The whole time he was thinking, he was aware of her sitting across the room watching him. She did practice her meditation and light chakra control but mainly she sat quietly and watched him. When the maids showed to see what they would like for dinner she ordered for them as a good wife should.

That was the final piece for Kakashi. Now all the details of the ceremony they had gone through in front of Sarutobi had finally clicked in Kakashi's mind and he knew he was married for real to Natsu. Everything from the three cups of Sake to her clothing at the time added to the fact that no one had even suggested a different name for her added up to the fact that Kakashi had been set-up. Even Natsu had not protested the name she was given, which in itself said she was used to the name. She had been angry because she was being married off. Not because of the name, appearance or clothes she would have to wear. The three main ingredients of a typical marriage reception had even been served to them here in the inn suggesting that the Hokage was trying to tell Kakashi the marriage was legitimate. The only thing he wasn't sure of was where the agreement with his signature on it saying he would marry anyone had come from. Then he remembered the form he had signed for the Daimyo supposedly allowing foreigners to oversee the training of his team from time to time. It had seemed fishy at the time especially when all his team had to sign the form and they weren't allowed to actually read it but you didn't tell the Daimyo no. Well, maybe Naruto would, and he might actually get away with it, but no one else would. So that meant even the Daimyo was in on this farce.

He found himself glaring at the seal. Her name was the bottom kanji and he knew that meant she had a job to do also. He began picking apart the seal on the scroll to find out what she was required to do. Because he knew without asking there was no way she was going to even admit that was her name let alone translate it for him. He read over her notes on what both Sakura and Sasuke were required to do according to the seal and found it made perfect sense. It all clicked and now he knew for certain exactly what had occurred in the Tower office. _Sneaky Sandaime indeed, Natsu,_ he thought. _He set me up to manipulate all three of you and while he was at it he manipulated me as well. Tricky damn Monkey. Buttkicking the Hokage sounds like a good pasttime to me._

He figured his part with Natsu could be done when Sasuke and Sakura had done their part. He didn't lie to himself. He knew he would not have any problems doing what was required of him. Natsu was perfect for him and he knew he was more than a touch attracted to her already. But getting Natsu to do her part required much more delicate manipulation than getting either Sasuke or Sakura to do their parts. All he had to do for them was wait and let time do it's thing. Sasuke was not known for his patience. He'd either give in and take Sakura as his wife or he would name someone more suitable. All Kakashi would need to do is make sure Sasuke did not get too much free space from Sakura to ensure he did run out of patience while droppin ghints that he should have named a girl of his choice. he wasn't stupid and with the number of times the fact that the team was on a mission had been mentioned along with his reminder to always look underneath the underneath Sasuke would eventually figure things out for himself. Sakura was a little bit harder. She had her fantasies well entrenched and it wasn't going to be easy to shake her free of them. But Kakashi knew the hardest of the trio would be his little Yoosei. _Whoa,_ he thought. _Where'd that thought come from?_ He looked at it closer. _It was true though_. _She was a little yoosei girl and she was his according to this scroll._ He smiled and started planning how to get his Yoosei Girl to accept him as her husband.

So over the next week and a half, to foster the feelings that needed to evolve, he forced Sasuke into going out once a day to window shop with Sakura, much to her delight. She enjoyed the hell out of the trips but Sasuke hated them. He kept trying to make them as short as he could possibly get away with. So Kakashi had to put a time limit on him. Sasuke had scowled and said, "Do you have ear plugs then?" Kakashi chuckled and told him to buy some when he took her out that day.

Kakashi also made Natsu go out with him. That was a lot more pleasurable because his tiny Yoosei wasn't opposed to gazing into the different shops. He had promised he would take her out later once they were settled in and she'd been patiently waiting for him to remember. She never pointed out anything specific she wanted but he was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the things that caught her eye. Some of the things, her expression told him only held her attention because they were outlandishly gaudy or because she didn't know what they were but other things caught her eye because they were beautiful. He got used to looking at her face for clues as to what she liked from what she didn't.

Kakashi found a glass blower and paid the man to make him something special for Natsu. Kakashi described what he wanted and why and then he brought Natsu by to let the man see her. The vendor had studied the girl while she looked over the trinkets in his shop. She was fascinated by the tiny little bells in the form of a bluebell stalk. Kakashi had purchased that for her much to her dismayed pleasure. She had wanted it but she didn't want him to buy it for her. The tiny sound given off by the bells amused her and the trinket took a prized location on the dressing table. Kakashi watched her play with it over the next couple of days smiling behind his mask every time she'd set the bells to tinkling. Every time she came into their rooms her eyes would look for it and when she'd see it she'd smile. Within minutes she found a reason to go set the tiny bells in motion. When he'd bought them for her Kyuubi had intoned, **"Ritual step two met," **but she wouldn't explain what she meant. Natsu had no idea what Kyuubi thought was happening here but she refused to let it bother her.

Three days after he bought her the bells, they were still waiting for the event to occur that would allow them to get the scroll opened. Natsu was the most relaxed about it of all of them. She knew the scroll wasn't going to open and she knew why but she was damned if Jijii was going to get his way on this. However, she was also enjoying the chance to be herself in public and she had no real desire to see it end. Sakura was still determined to hang onto her fantasy world and so long as she was unwilling to see or even try to understand Natsu was content to just let each day take care of itself.

Sakura was upset because Sasuke would not so much as buy her a coke outside of meal times let alone a souvenir. Sasuke was going crazy because he couldn't seem to get away from her for more than five minutes. But Kakashi was simply waiting as, he saw, was Natsu. His little yoosei girl had no intention of doing anything until she had to. He personally was enjoying himself also. It wasn't often a ninja got a chance to just lounge around and be waited on hand and foot as he and Natsu were here. The Inn keeper and his maids cleaned the rooms when they were out and brought both breakfast and dinner to the suite for them. The maids would even come to Natsu with a menu to inquire as to what they would like to eat for their next meal. No, Kakashi wasn't minding the wait for the scroll any more than Natsu was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto verse or any character or place therein. There the legal junk is out of the way. Thank-you for your reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. For those who don't know Yoosei means Fairy or Pixie like creature. This is one of the longer chapters which should go a long way towards making up for the last several chapters which were disgustingly short. Anyway, on with the story. Enjoy.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Seven:

But, by that time, Sasuke was clearly at his limit of living with Sakura. The girl had turned whiny on him because he wasn't willing to touch her any more than necessary and made it clear he did not enjoy hours of window shopping or hearing her beg for trinkets like a little kid begs for candy and ice cream. He came storming into their room, clearly pissed off and ready to snap. "Kakashi-Sensei, I want you to help me track down my _brother_ and drag his butt back to the village. _If_ there are going to be pink haired Uchiha for the next generation they are going to be his children! Not mine. I've haven't even made it through two weeks of living with her and already I want a divorce."

Kakashi did his best to hide his need to laugh but looking toward Natsu was a mistake. His tiny girl was sitting there with a fan in front of her face and very definitely laughing blue eyes peeking over the edge of it. Her shoulders were shaking too, giving away the fact that she found something about the scene funny if not everything. He looked back toward Sasuke and Sakura.

The furious boy stood there with his hands fisted on his hips burning a hole into Kakashi as he tried to ignore the upset and hurt expression Sakura wore. She couldn't help it if her hair was pink. Since he knew speaking would be a mistake Kakashi indicated they should sit down and get the meeting started. He sat down and watched as the kids took their places. Natsu walked behind him to get to her seat. She held the little bluebell figurine in her hands and set the tiny bells to jingling as she set it on the table. A gentle smile curved her lips as she listened to the small bells.

Kakashi's eye softened as he saw her enjoy his gift. He'd never regret buying it for her. Sakura saw her playing with it and asked her where she got it. She told her Kakashi-Sensei bought it from the glass vendor without admitting he bought it for her.

"Then you should put it back where he had it. You shouldn't touch Sensei's things, Naruto. You'll break something as delicate as that."

"Why should she put it back when I bought it for her? She likes the small sound the little bells give off and it makes her smile, so why exactly shouldn't she play with it? And you have been told more than once her name is Natsu."

"But it's really yours. She isn't really a girl, Sensei. You shouldn't be buying things like that for Naruto. It's a waste of money." Truth was Sakura was jealous. She could see how the small figurine pleased Natsu and how her enjoyment of it pleased Kakashi. And it angered her because Sasuke had not bought her anything, no matter how many things she had pointed out as being beautiful or just perfect for her coloring or size or taste. Yet here Sensei was already buying things for Naruto and they weren't married or on their honeymoon at all. Not to mention she found the little windchime to be very pedestrian.

"Sakura-chan," called Natsu bringing the pink haired girl back to the present. "What is really the problem? You were happy yesterday and my messing with this didn't bother you then so I don't believe it is really bothering you today."

At first, Sakura wasn't going to say anything but when Natsu hit one of the flower like bells with a well sculpted nail, her green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You know, Naruto, for a boy playing a girl, you sure have the role pretty well spot on. I mean, your hair is perfectly groomed every day. Your nails are perfectly manicured. You never sit like a boy or eat like one. You never even mess with your clothes. If I didn't know you were really a loud, obnoxious bozo of a baka boy who loves everything loud, obnoxious and orange, I'd swear you really are a girl. Even without the make-up all real girls wear."

Both Kakashi and Sasuke sharpened their interest. Both guys had already come to the conclusion Naruto didn't really exist and that the small boy was really a tiny girl. But Sasuke was waiting for Kakashi to confront Naruto on the subject, having figured out that as an orphan living alone, being a girl was probably not the best idea. Especially if this was how she really looked. Living alone and looking like this, would have had her in constant jeopardy while she was growing up. Not to mention the behavior of the girls in their age group to someone like her in their midst. None of the girls would have caught any of the boy's eyes with her around and all of them would have hated her over it. Just look how Sakura was acting.

Kakashi was just waiting to see how long Natsu could keep her secret. Like Sasuke he had also come to understand why Natsu was hidden as Naruto and he admired the girl's skill in hiding her true self under the shell of the loud boy. He had to smile as she answered Sakura's observation.

"Sakura-chan," she said reprovingly in a gentle tone of voice. "It would do no good for me to dress as a girl, use a girl's name and pretend to be his wife if I could not also act the role of a girl, now would it? As for the other things, someone of his stature in the world would not be expected to be wed to someone without manners or breeding. Half the success of a role depends on knowing the perception of others towards the person you are playing the role for or with. But as for the cosmetics, I see no reason to put that junk on my face. If the people, looking at my face, do not like what they see, they can look elsewhere. Nobody is making them look at me."

Kakashi grimaced ruefully under his mask before bursting into laughter. He should have known she would have an answer for that accusation and observation. But he also knew the way she behaved was a learned thing. She had been taught how to move and behave as a lady of breeding. Idly he wondered who had taught her how to behave.

Sasuke smirked as he mentally tipped his figurative hat to Natsu. That was a well thought out response and not something that could easily be argued with. "I congratulate you, Sensei. For this mission, you seem to have gotten the better prepared wife. Natsu is definitely worth showing off and parading around. She is the type of girl any guy of standing and breeding would be proud to have on his arm."

Kakashi added, "As for the cosmetics, Natsu, no man in his right mind would want you to hide your face under them and only jealous girls would. You catch every eye in the room without them, which is, as I understand it, the main purpose of them in the first place. But because you do catch every eye without it, a man can be very proud to have you on his arm."

Natsu had blanched when Sasuke said his piece and flushed when Kakashi spoke to her. Sakura had flushed angrily. "Are you saying the Baka is a better girl than I am, Sasuke-kun, Sensei? He can't be a better girl than a real girl. That was just rude. Besides, it's probably only indicative of the type of missions the Hokage will send Naruto on once we are no longer genin. After all, what other use can there be for his disgusting jutsu? I'm sure it takes all types of girls to do those type of missions."

Natsu paled as Kakashi felt a flare of rage over the comment. Even Sasuke was glaring at the pink haired girl. Natsu sucked in a deep breath, hiding her true reaction in order to chide him. "She is correct, Sasuke. That was rude to her. She may be a teenager seeing her fantasy come true, and overly excited about it, but there is no call to be rude by saying you are ashamed of her or embarrassed by her behavior."

"Naruto is not a better girl than I am." Sakura insisted, her voice rising on what she saw as an insult she did not deserve.

"Natsu is a different caliber of girl, Sakura. It isn't that she is a better or worse girl. She is just a girl of a different station. But you will never again insinuate a genin under my command will at any time ever be sent on an infiltration mission in that manner. You were also rude. To her," Kakashi said, trying to appease the pinkette while reminding her that, for this mission, Naruto did not exist and, at the same time, he tried to tell Natsu he knew damn good and well she was just as much a real girl as Sakura was. He could not quite hide the burr of anger in his voice though. "All the things you pointed out that she does unconsciously are things a girl of her station would have been taught as she was growing up. None of it is something she just read in a pamphlet. Someone taught her to behave as she does and I doubt very seriously if that person did so for that low brow of a reason. And you need to remember what the Sandaime said in the tower before we began this mission. Who did he say was Natsu's guardian?" Sakura gave him a puzzled look as Sasuke got contemplative. After a few seconds with both teens looking at him waiting for him to tell them what they had missed he said, "Sandaime is her guardian. He said so at the time. Do you honestly think he is going to approve any attempt to send his ward on an infiltration mission?"

Understanding filled Sasuke's face and he gave a sharp nod. One less thing to stress was his very private thought as he turned the conversation back to the issue he wanted settled. Now. Today. "Well, all things considered, I doubt if Natsu loudly proclaimed she wished for you to buy her that trinket as Sakura does to me in every shop she drags me into. I doubt Natsu has even asked you to buy her an ice cream," insisted Sasuke.

"Well, that is true. Natsu does not ask. She looks at what catches her eye and I use her body language and facial expressions to tell me what she likes or wants. She couldn't stop playing with the bells on that and smiling when they tinkled for her amusement. So when we were ready to leave, I bought it for her. Her expression told me she wanted it. But she never asked me for it."

Natsu wasn't listening any more, though. She had set the little bells to ringing again and was smiling with her head slightly tilted listening to their merry sound. Sasuke said, "She does seem to derive a lot of pleasure just listening to them. I can't even hear them but she can, can't she?"

"Hai. So can I if I channel chakra to my ears. They sound like water moving on a calm day in a peaceful stream."

"Careful, Sensei," sniped Sakura. "It almost sounds like you're falling for the role the Baka is playing."

"Sakura, I could spend the rest of my life happily watching Natsu play with that figurine and never get tired of it. Watching someone get so much joy from doing something so simple is a rarity in this blood filled world of ours. And hai, I might very well be falling for an illusion but if I am, that is my business, is it not? I can think of a lot crude illusions to fall for." Under his breath he added, "But I'm not. I already fell for my little wife a long time ago." Natsu heard him and he knew she did by how she'd drawn in her breath and her eyes flew to his face quickly before looking back at her bluebells. Color washed over her skin but other than that she gave no indication she was listening to anything they might say about her.

Sasuke had also seen her react to what Kakashi had said and he mentally cursed. No way could he get Natsu as a wife if Sensei was interested in her. Oh well. He already knew of two girls who would be good Uchiha wives. "Anyway, Sensei. Is there anyway to set this right? I don't want Sakura as my wife. I'm sorry, Sakura. I know you have dreamed of nothing else since you were eight or nine but come on. I've told you in every way I know how it wouldn't ever happen if I had any say in it. Pink hair might look good on a girl but it would be disastrous on a little boy. Especially an Uchiha boy. I know it isn't something you have any control over but it is a fact of life that in your line the pink hair is a dominant trait that is passed on to the children. I would be tempted to just kill the boy before anyone could see he had that hair and make his life miserable over it. I told you over and over you were not an appropriate wife for my clan or for me."

"You have to have a wife, Sasuke," said Kakashi sitting forward and getting serious. Or at least more openly serious. He'd been serious before but he had been dealing with Natsu then and she required different handling than Sasuke and Sakura did. "The only way the council is going to let you set her aside is if there is someone to take her place in your bed. Especially since you did already sleep with her as your wife. That act alone means they would have to send her off to a temple somewhere since she could not be wed off to someone else."

Sakura blushed, as Natsu quietly said, "They didn't have sex yet, Sensei. That's why she's so upset and why she has been trying so hard to get him to pay attention to her or buy her things. If he does, than she can continue to believe the sex will happen."

Kakashi looked from one blushing teen to the other. "Oh. I see. But why then did you try to open the scroll? You knew it was an event scroll and I was pretty clear as to what I thought the event had to be."

"I was hoping since I already knew I didn't wish to be married to her that it would be enough," Sasuke admitted. "But it isn't fair to her to be tied to me when I know I will never sleep with her just because the chance of a pink-haired child would be too great a risk. I already had Kabuto at the hospital run her genetics with mine to see what would most likely come of it because stupid Hiashi kept throwing her name at me all the time. Pink haired sons might definitely unlock the dojutsu sooner but I don't want to be around when they get big enough to really use them well."

Kakashi sighed. Truthfully, he'd heard of worse reasons for rejecting a girl as a spouse and he had to admit a pink-haired boy would be teased unmercifully. The poor kid would probably grow up wanting to kill both his parents over the insult. "Well, like I said the only way to set her aside is if there is someone else who can give you children to take her place."

"Actually, there are two girls I was looking at as possible wives. Kabuto was helping me run their genetics against mine just to make sure the children would be suitable heirs. Sometimes there is something unknown in the genetics that can lead to the birth of an unsuitable child in the next generation. Kabuto was helping me make sure, well as sure as man can ever get, the girl I did choose would not have that unforeseen consequence. It's why I was spending so much time hanging out at the hospital. Other than the stupid virility tests." He grimaced.

"Who are the girls?" whined Sakura. "Don't tell me you prefer Ino-pig."

"No. Ino is no more appropriate than you are but for different reasons. While I will admit her and my children would add a new dimension to the sharingan, that would only happen if I could stand to come home long enough to create them in the first place. Her personality does not match mine." Sasuke sighed and rubbed his eyes. He put his elbows on the table and gave Sakura a stern look that was dead serious. "Sakura, you need to get it through your head. This is the rest of my life we are talking about here. It isn't just a week or two of play acting like it is for Natsu and Sensei. It's the rest of my natural life. I have to be able to stand being around the girl. I have to be able to look at her and not cringe either openly or internally. She can't be abrasive or demanding of my time and attention to the point where I can't stand to go home. Nor can she be bossy. That pretty much describes both you and Ino to a tee. Neither of you would grant me enough time to do so much as take a shower without your approval let alone practice my ninja skills."

"Well, I did tell you, there won't be time for you to be an active ninja when we get home. You have to take your position in society now," she said.

"That's what I mean. You're already trying to tell me what to do and you haven't even set a foot inside the compound yet. But the girls I found won't behave like that. They won't tell me what to do, Sakura. They will treat me like Naruto does. Like a person first. And that's what I want."

"So who are the girls you are looking at," she asked quietly looking at her hands and trying to understand what he was telling her.

"You won't like it but I was looking at Mitarashi Ami and Tobai Miski. Both were in our graduating class from the academy. Miski is kind and gentle and will make a good mother. She seems more like Natsu in finding enjoyment in simple things and outside of being the constant center of attention. As such, she will definitely make a good matriarch for the new clan. An Uchiha Matriarch should always know where everyone is and who needs what but she should above all be a quietly nurturing person everyone knows they can come to no matter what the problem is. Miski is that kind of person just as Hinata is. But Hinata is too shy for me. Miski is not. She will stand up for herself and she will defend those she thinks needs defending. That is another trait that makes her right for the role of my wife."

"But she has green hair. How is that any better than pink? And Ami? Why is she a better choice than me?" she asked.

Sasuke got a slightly perverted look as he grinned. "Have you seen that girl move through her taijutsu routine? She is loud. I will grant you that but she is also fun and strong. I know, with her, life will never be boring and, if I have to leave on a mission, I know Ami can protect the new clan while I am away. She may not be as cultured as Miski is but what she does offer is. . .enticing enough. As for Miski's hair color, it's not dominant and people are less likely to tease a boy with dark green hair than they are to tease a boy with your hair Sakura and that's what the testing said you would give our children. Your hair. Not a different shade but the same exact color." A tear fell as Sakura understood she was beaten by genetics testing; something she had no chance in hell of twisting or fudging.

"Honestly, those two girls together are perfect as the new mothers of the Uchiha clan. At least for me, they are. Miski will gentle Ami out when Ami oversteps her bounds because she is not weak either. But Ami will also give Miski the courage she needs to stand up for herself more often than she does. And they will take care of each other, supporting each other as well as they support me. They will not fight over me like a couple of banshees. They will not turn my home into a war torn battleground over who I favor most. Sure, they may have a few fights, over position, duties, and children rights but mostly they will work well together because neither girl is stupid or blind to others. And Sakura, unlike you and Ino, both Miski and Ami understand to begin a new clan or restart an old clan like mine, it takes more than one wife. They've known from the beginning there will never be just one woman in my home or bed. Both you and Ino would never accept that no matter how much you tell the village you have. You wouldn't. You'd fight over me like a piece of meat."

"You show good taste, Sasuke. And your reasons show you have given this matter a great deal of thought but you do realize this whole thing could have been avoided if you had just told Hiashi-san who you were considering?"

Sasuke looked at him seriously. "He should have asked. Not once did he ever ask me why I was hanging out with Kabuto. Like everyone else he assumed the Banshee Queens had scared me off girls to the point where I forgot my duty and though he suggested girls it was always someone totally wrong for me. Almost as if he wanted me to be miserable for the rest of my days or was afraid I was looking at his daughter and, while I might consider Hanabi down the line, I would never take his heir. Hinata is his line continuation. Not mine. Looking at Hinata would close off the Uchiha line; folding it into the Hyuuga line. That isn't what I want. Nor do I believe it's what the village wants. Hanabi, however, could become a part of the Uchiha and he could still see her every day of his life, though her attitude stinks. Miski and Ami would have their work cut out for them getting her into line so I really don't want her either. But since he never asked, I never told him who I was looking at. Besides, I am only thirteen. And so are the main two girls."

Kakashi laughed outloud. For the first time his genin heard him laugh. Natsu stared at him, her eyes going soft as she heard his laugh roll out and fill the room with rich sound. A smile tugged at her lips as a soft blush covered her skin and a sparkle entered her eyes. Kakashi stopped laughing as he caught the expression and sucked in his breath. Good God, she was beautiful and that look should be illegal, he thought. Sasuke couldn't see Natsu's face but from Kakashi's star struck look he knew Natsu had their Sensei in the palm of her tiny little hand. Sakura could see the look Natsu gave Kakashi and she did know why Kakashi had quit laughing but unlike Sasuke she thought it unfair that the boy pretending to be a girl was getting more attention than she, the real girl was getting on this mission. And the boy turned girl hadn't even said a word!

"Naruto!" she snapped, drawing the blond's attention away from Kakashi. "You shouldn't look at him like that. You're a boy and he's a man."

Natsu tilted her head. Confusion marred her forehead. "What look?" she asked simply. "He has a nice laugh and I never heard him laugh before." Total silence filled the room as Kakashi wanted to groan. She went back to her bells when it was clear no one was going to explain what look Sakura was talking about.

Kakashi shook his head and refocused his thoughts on the issue at hand. "Ok. Now Sasuke, you have done what you were required to do for this mission. Sandaime wanted you to admit your duty to the village is first and foremost the creation of the next generation of Uchiha. Since you have named two girls you find suitable, with a possibility down the line of a third, that is more than sufficient to show, along with the reasons why they are suitable, that you do indeed realize your duty."

"So does that mean we can open the scroll now?" asked Sakura. On the one hand, she wanted to go home but on the other she still wanted a chance to make Sasuke realize he loved her. She was coming to understand that even if he did love her he would never have a relationship with her but she wasn't ready to give up yet.

"No, Sakura. It doesn't. You haven't yet done your part and Natsu told you when she transcribed the seal for us that you both had a role to fulfill. I just told you Sasuke has done his part. He was to recognize his duty and admit to it in a way that showed he had acknowledged it. By naming both Miski and Ami as suitable wives as well as giving sound reasons as to why they are suitable he has done that. Now it is your turn. Have you done as you are required to?"

"What can I do? He won't do more than sleep. I can't make him have sex with me. He's too afraid of a pink-haired son to even consider it."

"I think it is more than that, Sakura-chan, that keeps him on his side of the bed," said Natsu softly. "Think about what he has said today. Sasuke is never one to waste his words. What he says he means. So think about what he said."

"What do you know?" she spat. "You're just a Baka boy pretending to be a girl so you can steal Sasuke's Sensei's attention away from him. When we get back to Konoha, Sensei won't forget how you've flirted with him here and Sasuke's training will suffer from it because you're a pervert. Just because you know exactly how to play a role as a certain type of girl doesn't mean you know anything about being a real girl, Baka."

Natsu had paled and though confusion had been the predominant expression, fear had clouded her eyes at the mention of returning to Konoha. Both Sasuke and Kakashi turned cold eyes on Sakura. Both guys were furious with her. "That's enough, Sakura," snapped Sasuke in a voice that told her she had gone way beyond too far. "Natsu is not flirting with Sensei. She is being herself."

"I am perfectly capable of dealing with things myself, Sakura. I do not need you to handle matters involving my sex life for me. Nor do I think Naruto is a pervert." Kakashi glanced at Natsu. She was still sitting frozen, the fear clear in her expressive eyes. _Damn it Sakura_, he mentally cursed. Natsu had begun to relax and open up to them but now he could tell she had back slid a lot. "As for what happens when we go back to Konoha, I think we will all find things are not how we left them. Or how we expect them to be."

"Anyhow, what Natsu said to you is correct. You do need to think about what he said and why he said it. This little display of waspishness should also play into your thoughts today. You may not believe Natsu is a real girl but you know damn good and well Sasuke needs more than one wife to repopulate his clan. That means you were never going to be his only wife. But he has admitted he doesn't even want you to be one of the number. He gave solid reasons for why you are not an appropriate choice as a wife for him. He told you flat out he never would have married you if anyone had asked him instead of forcing the issue. And you yourself have pointed out he won't even give you a position as a concubine so what exactly are you hanging onto him for?" Kakashi was being harsh and brutal with her but he was angry at her over her waspish words towards Natsu. No one was going to hurt his little Yoosei and get away with it.

Sakura had tears in her eyes as she mumbled, "I know he doesn't want me but he is my husband. Hokage-sama married us with my Kaasan and his guardian as witnesses. Therefore, whether he likes it or not, I am his wife. Maybe someday he can get over his fear of pink haired kids and we can be a real married couple but for now, I'll just settle for having him show he at least cares about me."

"Sakura," said Sasuke, a hint of softness in his voice for the first time in dealing with her. "I told you when we became a team to work on yourself. I told you to grow stronger. That I did not need a weak wallflower at my back constantly. If you had worked at being a strong kunoichi, I might have come to care for you as a teammate. But you didn't. You still don't. Natsu is fulfilling a role as Kakashi-Sensei's wife but even so she goes down to the hotel gym every day and works out. She goes through her kata for taijutsu and works her muscles on the machines they have. You go to the beauty parlor and the baths. So what exactly is there to recommend you as one of my wives? What exactly do you have to offer that Miski and Ami do not also have? That I can not later, when Hanabi is older, get from her?"

"I have a higher social position than either of them," she said instantly.

"And I need that because?" Sasuke raised a brow inquiringly. "Sakura, I already have my own seat on the council. Your Kaasan holding a seat, does nothing for my social standing. Nor as a ninja, are you ever going to be able to assume her seat when she is ready to retire. She holds a civilian seat and in the council, certain seats must remain in the hands of civilians to maintain the balance in the village. Therefore, you don't really have a higher social position than either Miski or Ami. You only think you do because your Kaasan is a civilian seat holder. And as for Hanabi, she outranks you. She is the second daughter of the main branch of the Hyuuga Clan the first dojutsu clan of Konoha. But you are not strong enough to defend the household while I am away as Ami is. You are not gentle enough to raise the children as Miski is. You are not cultured enough as Hanabi will be, to host functions of state in our home. Nor, for all your fawning attention right now, will you ever be as supportive of me and my decisions as they both will be. As hopefully all three will be, should Hanabi someday join the ranks. Instead, you will try and tell me what I can and cannot do and argue over every decision I do make. I am not the type of person who would be happy with a wife who tries to wear my pants or goes and buys gaudy things because they are expensive and show off her supposed wealth."

"I don't mean to rip you to shreds but you need to face facts here. You are not what I need or want in one of my wives. You never have been and never will be. You would be divisive in the home, relegating both Miski and Ami to lesser positions to assert your authority when I would clearly care more for their welfare than I ever could for yours. You would use the children Ami and Miski will give me as toys to show off and increase your own personal value in the eyes of the village all the while saying you were doing it for me. Then you would dismiss them from further consideration as soon as whoever was watching turned their attention elsewhere. I could never tolerate that and nor should Miski or Ami have to tolerate that."

Sakura jumped up and ran from the room. She couldn't take any more rejection today. After a few minutes Natsu stood up and followed the distraught girl. Both the guys watched the graceful way Natsu moved and only when she was out of sight did Sasuke speak again. "She really is a girl, isn't she Sensei?"

"Hai and unlike you and Sakura, Natsu really is my wife. Hokage-sama is and always has been her guardian. Furthermore, Koharu as well as Hiashi and Kiku were witness for the council as to the marriage ceremony tieing her to me. Iruka stood as witness as well. And then there was the clothing and the Sake cups. The clothing Koharu and Kiku helped her to change into was a traditional wedding dress for a bride. The scroll Sarutobi-sama handed me was, now that I remember it, the traditional scroll read by a male getting married and the Sake cup arrangement was also tradition. I didn't even catch on to their plot when Natsu changed into the second outfit which was consistent with clothing normally worn by a bride for the reception. Therefore, she really is my wife."

"Then why. . ."

"Have I not pushed her to admit it?" Sasuke nodded. "Because she has spent all her life as Naruto. She needed time to be herself and get used to being herself. I hoped she'd get so comfortable being herself she wouldn't want to go back to being Naruto. And then there is Sakura and her constant sniping and harping on the fact that Natsu doesn't exist. Sakura is constantly reminding Natsu that she is really just the village idiot and that we are on a mission in which Natsu is undercover. But for the record Natsu knows full well exactly what this mission is all about."

"And what is she supposed to do? If all three of our names were on that seal, than it is only reasonable that Natsu's is also and although Sakura may have bought the story about you being required to make sure she and I do our required parts, I don't buy it. Natsu's name is on that scroll and she does have something to do as well. Your job isn't really to make sure Sakura and I do our job, is it? You have something to do that involves Natsu. Otherwise Hokage-sama would not have wed you two off as he did."

"Very astute of you, Sasuke. You are correct. I do have something I am required to do but, until Natsu admits she really is a girl, I can not and will not do it. And I will not force her into revealing the truth until she is ready to admit she doesn't want to return to being Naruto again. And right now? I think she'd put that henge on in a heartbeat if only to avoid having to deal with a snippy Sakura again."

"But you love her don't you, Sensei? Even though you thought she was Naruto right up until we left the village, you love her."

"Hai. And I already had my suspicions as to her real self. My eyes and nose have been at war over her ever since that damn chalkboard eraser dropped on my head. In fact, it was because they were at war that it did hit me."

Sasuke started laughing. "I wondered why such a simple trick caught you. But it turns out it wasn't so simple after all. She must have already known of you before you became our Sensei. She would have known all about your enhanced senses so she was probably testing her henge under the guise of the eraser trick."

"I wonder why she didn't get it altered then when I clearly showed her I knew something was off?"

"Don't know. You might want to just ask her. But I will work on Sakura. I think if I work on getting Sakura to see it isn't a henge on Natsu then all of us can convince our graceful girl to be herself. But she definitely likes that trinket."

"Hai. She plays with it all the time. Just small gentle touches to set the bells moving as she passes by it but still she does like it. I commissioned the vendor to make me a small fairy with her coloring for her too. I need to go pick it up. Can you handle things here for me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Just don't let her see it until I can watch her reaction also. I always thought Naruto wore his heart on his sleeves but now I see he didn't give away half as much as she does. Everything she thinks and feels shows on her face."

Kakashi went to the vendor to pick up the small figurine. It was perfectly detailed. Delicate clear wings sprouted from the tiny girl's back as she seemed to dance in the moonlight of a forest glade. It looked as if the glassblower had been one of the observers watching as Natsu did her kata in the hotel gym because her dance seemed very reminiscent of the kata positions.

"I hope it is suitable," said the vendor. "I did my best to capture her for you. She truly is a beautiful little yoosei given life."

"It's perfect. It seems like you watched her practicing in the gym."

"I did. I was having trouble finding a background for her and one of my children came in and saw the yoosei. He told me about your little wife and her work-outs. So I went every day for the next week to watch her. The moonlit glade was perfect if I recast her form to be dancing."

"This is the second cast of her? May I also see the first casting?"

"Hai. I put it on a chain as I still can not think of an appropriate setting for it." He pulled out the small fairy on the golden chain and showed it to Kakashi.

"Natsu," Kakashi held the small fairy girl letting her expression filter into his mind as she had looked when she heard him laughing. "I'll buy both pieces but I want a stronger chain for this. I will be keeping this one for myself."

The vendor smirked. "Keep her with you forever this way. She truly is a keeper. That's for sure." He exchanged the chains for one that wouldn't break or wear away and then put an enhancement onto the glass yoosei before Kakashi dropped it over his head. Kakashi tucked it inside his clothes and paid the man for both pieces. He waited as the man boxed up the yoosei in the moonlit glade. Then he went back to the hotel.

Sasuke was arguing with Sakura when he got back while Sakura was doing her best to break Natsu's henge. Natsu had a swelling black eye and a rather large bump on her head. They must have been having one hell of an argument Kakashi thought when he entered the room. He went straight to Natsu and wrapped his arms around her. Quietly he asked her, "What happened?"

She shook her head but said nothing as she tried to burrow deeper into him. She wouldn't admit she was hurting but he knew, from that action alone, she was. "Come on, Natsu. I got you something today. Do you want to see it?" he asked trying to distract her from the pain.

She raised her head and looked at him. "Why?" she asked in a pain-filled voice.

"Why what?" he asked genuinely confused.

"Why would you buy me something again? I already have the bells. They are enough."

"Because I wanted to. Besides I think this is perfect for you."

He led the way to the meeting room and directed her into a chair. Sasuke had followed them in and even Sakura had shut up long enough to hear Kakashi had bought Natsu another gift. She came in prepared to tell Natsu she should not accept it and stopped in shock as Natsu pulled the dancing fairy out of the box. Amazement and pure unadorned awe filled Natsu's face as she examined the small figurine carefully. A touch of her finger set the tiny fairy into motion around the glade and Natsu clapped her hands with a joyous smile. **"Ritual step three,"** intoned Kyuubi from inside Natsu's mind.

Sasuke stood next to Kakashi as they both watched the small girl with her present. "It's beautiful, Sensei. You did good but how did you get him to make it so perfect for her?"

"He actually had to make a second casting to get that one. The first one wasn't able to do her kata routine. He came and watch her as she did her routine in the gym here for about a week and then went back to his lab. I bought the first casting he did as well but that one is mine."

"Well, it looks like she is going to be entranced for quite awhile with that new figurine. Maybe I should buy something similar for Miski and Ami but I really don't know what they would like."

"Why not just wait until we get home and then take them out window shopping? That way you can see what it is they like. That's what I did with my Natsu."

"Your Natsu? Aren't you forgetting something, Sensei?" snapped Sakura. Kakashi looked at her puzzled by her words and attitude. "Like the fact that this is Naruto. A boy!"

"Oh really? Hmm. If you say so. But I rather think this is the truth, Sakura."

Sakura walked over to where Natsu was sitting entranced with her gift. Sakura bashed her fist down on Natsu's head causing the gentle girl to yelp and raise her hands to her head. Since she'd been holding her new figurine at the time the delicate thing went flying. Natsu cried out as she saw it fly away from her. Sasuke moved quickly to catch it before it could land and get broken as Kakashi grabbed Sakura and threw her away from Natsu. "Never touch her like that again, Sakura," he growled.

"My music box," Natsu cried out, trying to reach for it. Sasuke handed it back to her and she carefully checked it over for any damages not paying any attention to the tears that had fallen when she thought the little piece was going to get broken. She looked at Sasuke with gratitude and said, "Thank-you, Sasuke. It's too pretty to get shattered like that." She set it on the table and turned it on as Kakashi settled her onto his lap at the table. She snuggled into his embrace and watched as the glass fairy danced around the sparkling glade.

"What is wrong with you both?" shrieked Sakura. "Naruto is not a girl. He's a boy. Damn it. I am the only girl on our team."

Sasuke pulled her out of the room as Kakashi glared at her. Natsu just leaned her head against Kakashi's chest, relaxing as she listened to the music box he'd gotten her. "Why did you buy her for me, Sensei? She is beautiful but still. . . I do not understand."

"I had the glass blower make her for you because this is how I see you. She is you and you are her."

Natsu looked at the fairy again and considered his point of view. Then she shook her head. "I am not that small or delicate. I am not a fairy."

"Oh yes you are. You are very tiny and, though you are a lot stronger than you appear to be, you are very delicate and the image you give a man is very much that of a fairy girl. Even Sasuke has noticed it and you know very well he is just about unobservant when it comes to girls in a physical way. Though his comments on Ami's taijutsu were pretty telling as to why he chose her as a possible wife."

"But still this is expensive. Sakura-chan is correct. You should not be buying me things. This is just a mission for us to give her a chance to grow up."

"Is it, Natsu-hime? I wonder."

She said nothing more as she settled in his lap to watch the figurine dance for her. She was so quiet he looked down and found her to be sleeping. That was progress, he admitted to himself knowing she trusted him enough to actually go to sleep. He hugged her tighter and reached out to turn the little dancer off. Then he lifted her up and took her into the bedroom portion of their suite. He slid her into the blue nightgown, he had decided would always be his favorite of her gowns, and slid under the covers with her, wrapping her safely against him for the night.

While they slept, Sakura slipped into their rooms. She glared as she saw Kakashi-Sensei snuggling Naruto next to him as they slept. She grabbed the music box and the bluebell figurine and slipped back out casting one more sneer in their direction as she did so.

She didn't think her Sensei should be buying gifts for Naruto at all but especially not fancy ones like these two. If she, the real girl, didn't get fancy presents bought for her on this trip she was damned if some boy playing a role was going to get two of them. She hid the two figurines in the bottom of her pack, not even thinking to wrap them for safety first, where they would not be noticed as she went for new clothing each day.

Making her way to the bed she thought, Sensei needed to wake up and realize he was acting like a fool over a boy. She didn't like the fact that they were sleeping together in the bed and her sensei was holding Naruto very close to him, for all the world acting like the teen was a real girl instead of the damn brat he really was either. Nor did she think it was appropriate for her Sensei to be falling so clearly for Naruto's damn henge as he was. He should be grown up enough not to fall for something like that.

She slipped into the bed glad she'd slipped Sasuke a sleep aid with his dinner that night. A small part of her mind resented the fact that Kakashi-Sensei and Naruto could eat in their rooms while she and Sasuke had to go down to the dining room to eat but she also knew that, as Team Leader, Kakashi-Sensei did deserve the better room. They were supposed to be portraying couples and as the younger couple, she and Sasuke did not hold the same position he held with Naruto pretending to be his wife. It was her first thought that actually remembered they were on a mission. But still it did not once occur to her that Kakashi or Sasuke or Naruto were all just playing their roles; a role wherein it was more than appropriate for it to seem as if Kakashi had fallen for his dainty little girl of a wife and where it was totally appropriate for him to be seen buying her gifts. Expensive gifts, if he wished to.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Legal Stuff!!!!! I don't own Naruto or anything to do with the show or comic books. Ok Last chapter was twice the size as this one. (sigh) What can I say. There was a lot to put in the last chapter. Anyway here's chapter eight. Enjoy.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Eight:

Morning came and the first thing Natsu did was look for her figurine. A startled cry came from her as she panicked. She looked around the room and noticed her bluebells were gone too. Her face fell as she got the message Sakura was giving her. She never even questioned it was Sakura who took her glass. She knew she had. Jealousy was not a good thing in pink haired girls. Her shoulders dropped as she hung her head before going to get her shower. Kakashi watched her. She was sad and unhappy about something he thought waking all the way up. He looked around the room trying to think what could make his little yoosei unhappy now. It didn't take him long to figure it out. He got dressed in a fury. Whoever had stolen her glass had to have been someone who knew the glass things were here and that meant his team. Sasuke would not have taken them but that jealous little harlot would have.

Sasuke and Sakura came into the room for the morning meeting to find a clearly pissed off jounin waiting for them. Sakura was looking pleased with herself while Sasuke was looking resigned. "Sakura," said Kakashi, struggling to keep his rage suppressed. "Where are Yoosei's figurines?"

She smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sensei. First off, who's this Yoosei person? Second, I haven't seen any figurines since yesterday when Naruto was reeling you in like a fish on the hook with yours. You really should know better Sensei, than to act like that over a boy."

Natsu came out of the shower and moved quietly to the dressing table. She was fully dressed but her hair was still damp and in need of tending. So as she sat down at the dressing table she subconsciously reached out automatically to touch her little bells but they weren't there. Her shoulders drooped and unknown to her Kakashi and Sasuke were both watching her face in the mirror as her eyes filled with tears. She blinked them back and picked up her brush with a sad sigh. Kakashi said, "Sasuke, go search your room. No one else would have taken them from Natsu but a jealous harpy. Bring me her bag as well. I will search it."

"You shouldn't be buying things for someone that doesn't exist, Sensei. Not unless you are buying all of us things as well," said Sakura. "Since you haven't bought anything for either Sasuke or I, I see no reason for Naruto to be getting gifts either. Especially not fancy, expensive things like those gifts clearly are. One of his station is not worthy of such gifts. Just being allowed to stay in this room eating the quality of food served to you is reward enough for one of his station."

Before Kakashi could respond, Sasuke came back in with Sakura's bag. "I didn't see them in the room, Sensei, but that doesn't mean she didn't steal them. She's clearly jealous of Natsu. And that statement only confirms what I said earlier about her unfitness as a Uchiha wife. Uchiha wives do not tell other men how to treat their wives, friends or associates. It is unseemly."

Kakashi's voice was so thick with anger he could hardly be understood as he grabbed Sakura's bag and began pulling the clothing out of it one piece at a time, carefully unfolding each piece just in case the harrigan had actually had the forethought to wrap the glass items up. Not that he really thought she'd be that thoughtful or that he was really sure he wanted Natsu touching anything wrapped in her mission gear. This stuff wasn't even fit for the high end brothels. "Hai. She has made that very clear. She seems to think I should be buying you two gifts as well but somehow, since this is a honeymoon trip and we are using the honeymoon suite, I think it would give the wrong message should I buy either of you something like Natsu's gifts. Especially since the proprietor knows we did partake of the traditional first meal of a newly married couple. But even worse is that she thinks I should not be buying Natsu anything at all."

"What traditional first meal of a newly married couple?" asked Sakura, confusion replacing her jealousy. She was angry over Kakashi-Sensei going through her bag like this in such an open setting. Her night clothes to tempt her Sasuke-kun were no one's business but hers and his and yet here was Sensei laying them all out like wares in the market place.

Kakashi was watching Natsu as he answered the question. "The platter of fish in an unbroken circle to symbolize that we are together now and into the future and clams on an unbroken but opened shell to symbolize our unity as two halves of one whole together always and forever. And they gave us lobster since that is supposed to grant fertility or something also. There were other dishes as well that are normally served at a wedding feast but those three were the most telling and we both did eat them. Some of each of the three main dishes. Didn't we, Natsu?" Natsu had gone pale as she realized what he was saying.

But Sasuke distracted Sakura from pursuing the topic as he turned on her. "And why the hell should he not buy his wife whatever the hell he wants to buy for her? Just who the hell died and made you the boss, Sakura? Did you even look at the little fairy you stole last night? It's her doing her kata. But you don't care, do you? Because I didn't screw your fantasies out of your head you're determined to make her miserable as well. I've had it with your stupidity and jealousy. " He spun her around to look at Natsu. "Open your damn eyes, Sakura. Look at her. That is not a boy pretending to be a girl. That is a girl. A real girl and as dainty and graceful as any I have ever seen. If she were not Sensei's wife, I would marry her instead of either Miski or Ami. Because she's not the kind of girl who should ever have to share her man, she'd be the only wife I would take. But she is Sensei's wife." Natsu's eyes had gone wide at his words from the moment he had spun Sakura around to make her see what he and Kakashi saw so clearly. Her mouth dropped in a startled 'O' as her face lost all it's color.

"I told you to leave her things alone, Sakura. I meant it," said Kakashi.

"You did? When? You haven't said any such thing. Besides they aren't Naruto's to mess with. He's just going to break them and then all the ryu you spent to get them will be wasted," she said.

"I didn't? Oh. Well, leave her glass alone. I bought these pieces for Natsu. And I sure as hell never gave you permission to touch them. Let alone remove them from my rooms. And by the way, what the hell were you thinking you'd see slipping in here last night? Just because he's not satisfying you you need to become a voyeur also?" asked Kakashi. He stared her down as she flushed and tried to find a way to excuse herself. "Never enter my rooms without permission again, Sakura. And if I ever discover you were spying on me or my wife again I will ruin you. There will be no place you can run to hide from me."

He found both pieces of glass and held them up to make sure they were undamaged. Natsu's eyes had lit up as soon as she saw them in his hands all conflict in the room forgotten as she saw they were ok. Kakashi walked over with both her figurines in his hands. He set them on the table in front of her and she reached out to test the bells. A tinkling laugh came from her as she touched a second bell. She turned the dancing fairy on and clapped her hands as it too began to perform for her.

To Sakura, Kakashi said, "Get this straight, Sakura, because I'm not telling you again. She is a girl every bit as much as you are. And she is my wife. The ceremony Sandaime performed for her and I in the office was real. She even wore the traditional wedding kimono for it while you wore your standard mission clothes. She and I really did exchange vows while you and Sasuke drank fruit juice. So if I want to commission glass blowers from one end of the Elemental Lands to the other to make her dancing fairies I will. I have every right to get them made for her and she has every right to accept them. As for buying you something, while I am on my honeymoon have you really thought that through? Or were you just being a green-eyed harpy?"

"What do you mean, Sensei? Sasuke-kun and I are just as much your students as. . .as. . ." she frowned, not sure what to call the small person in front of her now.

"You are my students. Not my lovers. And that is exactly why it is not appropriate for me to be buying you gifts now while it is more than appropriate for me to spend my money as I wish to on her. The little bits of glass make her happy and what makes her happy, makes me happy as well but by me purchasing them for her as I have, I tell everyone she is mine and no one else's. I tell everyone how very proud I am of my wife. If I were to buy you something of equal or even lesser value than what I buy for her, I would be telling the world I sleep with you also."

He tried to spare her feelings but she wasn't getting the point. "So? I still don't see why that means you can't also buy nice things for my Sasuke-kun and I."

Sasuke declined to even try to explain it to her though he did go red in the face. He knew exactly how it would seem should a man Kakashi's age be on his honeymoon with three kids, one of whom was his wife, and be seen buying gifts for all three of them. The blush showed he fully caught the implications Sakura was missing simply because she thought she knew the true nature of things when she clearly did not.

Kakashi sighed. "Sakura. What does it mean when a man takes his wife," he pointed to Natsu, "on a honeymoon and buys her gifts?"

"It means he loves her." Natsu swivled around on the bench looking from one person to the other as Sakura said that. Sakura didn't notice being intent on finding the correct answer for the question she had been asked. "It means that he considers her to be something special in his life." She forwned as Natsu looked at Kakashi wondering if what she was saying had anything to do with why Kakashi had bought the two pieces of glass for her. "But that's exactly why you shouldn't be buying Naruto anything. He isn't your wife. He's a boy and boys can't be wives."

"And if he buys gifts for someone other than her while she is present?" Kakashi continued ignoring the reasons she gave for why he should not be buying Natsu things now.

"That he doesn't respect or care about her feelings or position in society. The one he is buying things for is more important to him than she is. Though if that person is not also with them then it shows he is just as ashamed of them as he is disrespectful of his wife. But what does that have to do with you buying things for only her? Naruto is just a part of our team, Sensei. He's not even the most important part of the team. He's just the one who screws everything up for us. Sasuke-kun is always having to straighten things out for us."

Kakashi was furious now. The girl had just spelled out exactly how it would look to this village if he bought things for them that were equal in size or quality to what he bought for Natsu and she still didn't get it. "Sakura, you just admitted how it would seem to the village if I were to buy things for anyone but her. You are not my lover. Nor do I wish to have you as a lover. Not now. Not in the future. I will not be buying you anything. It is not only not something I wish to do. It is not appropriate that I do so." He sighed and reined in his exasperation with her denseness. "We are on a mission here. As far as the people of this community know, you are Sasuke's wife while I am her," he pointed to Natsu at the dressing table brushing her hair as she watched the little fairy dance for her, "husband." A gentle and joyous smile softened what was visible of his face. Only Sasuke heard him say, "I do like how that sounds. Her Husband."

"Oh I get it now," Sakura said smiling happily. "Those two things are for me and you'll buy the boys different things. But for now, because Naruto is in a henge for the mission he has to keep the figurines to make sure the mission cover doesn't get blown. Why didn't you just say so? I really don't understand why you got a blond fairy though, Sensei. I mean people are likely to think it's supposed to be Ino-Pig or someone." She walked over to remove the small glassworks from Natsu's reach. "Leave them alone, Baka. I don't want you breaking them with your clumsiness even if he could have done a better job choosing the fairy."

Sasuke was bug-eyed in disbelief as he literally watched her spin a tale out of thin air that allowed her to totally disregard all the facts. Kakashi was just blinking at her as his mind took a few minutes to catch up to what she was saying and doing. Growling, he took the two pieces and gave them back to Natsu. "Touch those again, Sakura. . .You even try to take them away from her again and I will break your god damned hand. They are not for you. Not now. Not when I bought them and not tomorrow either. They are hers and hers alone. And if you ever try to steal something from either her or myself again, I will have you brought up on charges for it. Am I clear?" He stood between Natsu, her figurines and Sakura his entire body radiating nothing so much as pure threat.

**"Ritual step four," **intoned Kyuubi.

"Hai," she said, gulping nervously and backing away.

"Now get your harlot gear off the meeting table before Natsu sees it and freaks out. The people who packed for her actually had the good sense to use good taste."

"It's just honeymoon type clothing," she groused as she went to pack it away. Neither of the guys said anything but nor did either one want Natsu to see the clothes Sakura had brought along. Natsu wasn't paying any attention to them, just being happy at having her gifts back. Again.

"Natsu Sukai, would you please just tell her the truth?" Kakashi asked frustration showing clearly in his tone of voice, when all the slutty clothes were off the table.

Natsu had looked up at him in the mirror when he called her name and she glanced at Sakura hesitantly. Then she looked at Sasuke, who nodded. The nod was to tell her he already knew as well and Natsu knew he did. Finally she looked at Kakashi. Almost whispering she asked him, "Why? Who or what I am has no bearing on what she must do before we can go home."

"That's true but it does on what I must do. Doesn't it, my little yoosei."

"I am not that small. Nor am I a fairy."

"Hmm. That's a matter of opinion. On both points." Kakashi smiled.

Sasuke smirked. "I agree. I think the nickname Yoosei fits her very well."

Natsu frowned crossing her arms over her chest in a clear pout. "I grew three whole inches last year. I am not that small," she insisted.

"Um on that, even I have to disagree," said Sakura.

"I'm just not done growing yet," she insisted.

"Well, ok if you say so. But when you finally hit that growth spurt you might want to point it out to the rest of us cause I think we might overlook it if you don't," said Sakura.

"Not nice, Sakura-chan," said Natsu. Kakashi was rumbling with laughter and her eyes flew to him as she watched him laugh. Once again his breath caught in his throat as he saw the look she was giving him. Oh god, he thought. He had to get her to admit it soon or he was going to explode.

"Just tell her please, Natsu," he choked out a different kind of frustration in his voice now. She tilted her head as the tone distracted her from his request. She stood up and moved to stand in front of him.

"Why do you want me to tell her so badly? I told you my identity has nothing to do with her doing her task." He couldn't keep his hands from reaching for her.

"Because it's time she knew. Sasuke already knows. So do I but she doesn't. Her eyes aren't as good as Sasuke's and her nose isn't as good as mine. Beside I want to do what I am supposed to do as well. I want to claim what is mine."

Color washed over her as confusion lit in her eyes. "I . . .what does. . .I do not see what one has to do with the other."

Kakashi groaned. Of course she didn't. "Just tell her, Natsu."

She searched his face but Sakura was already getting the point. Naruto was the false image while Natsu, tiny little Natsu, was the real deal. "Oh dear Kami," the pink haired girl said. "You were serious yesterday, Sasuke-kun. Naruto really is Natsu. Or rather Natsu is the real person while Naruto was the false image. But why lie about it in the first place? Naruto has been a boy ever since we've known him. And we've known him for years."

"Because a little boy orphan is a lot safer than a little girl orphan ever would be but when the little girl looks like Natsu does there would have been no way to keep her safe from harm as an orphan child," said Kakashi.

Sakura scoffed, "Oh come on, Sensei. Someone would have adopted her. Konoha has a lot of orphans and we take good care of them all. Just look at Sasuke-kun. He's an orphan too and he's well cared for."

Sasuke slapped her. "Don't ever insult the real orphans that way again, Sakura. I am not an orphan. I do have family left alive. He may be a criminal but he is still my brother. Natsu has no family. None. Not a single person anywhere in the Elemental Lands. And the way she would have been treated is not as nicely as you seem to think it would have been."

"As for being adopted, that was never a possibility for her any more than it was for Sasuke," added Kakashi. "Those who were considered to be of high enough standing and strong enough to protect her, to adopt her had to be watched over for political motives and those who we didn't need to watch for political games, we had to watch for revenge minded goals based on who her parents were. All in all it boiled down to the fact that there was no one we could trust to adopt her."

"But. . .but Naruto was a nobody. So how could she be. . .I don't understand," Sakura said shaking her head.

Natsu said, "Sakura-chan, do you remember the name Hokage-sama gave me when he married me off like a parcel?" Disgust colored the last of her question.

The end of the comment gave Kakashi an inkling as to why she had been so reluctant to admit the truth. She knew also what had really happened in the tower and she wasn't any too happy with her guardian over it. He grinned under his mask. Hokage-sama was in for a world of hurt when they returned home.

Sakura was nodding and said, "He named you Namikaze Natsu Sukai. But what does that have to do with anything? It's not your real name. Your real name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Just everything," muttered Natsu. Louder she admitted, "It is my name, Sakura. My real name. It isn't a fake name given to me by Otousan when Hokage-sama dropped a henge on me to hide me. But rather it's my real name given to me by my Kaasan as soon as she saw me before she died of blood loss from having me."

Sakura was well versed in Fire Country law. Quickly she ran through the ceremony and she paled as she realized what it all meant. She collapsed into the chair at the table where she had been putting away her mission clothes. She had gotten the nightwear off the table before she'd begun speaking because, even as lost as she was in trying to hang on to her fantasies, she knew those clothes were not something Natsu should see. "So then. . .then you really. . .are just as married to Sensei as I am to Sasuke-kun."

Natsu grimaced not liking the implication there at all since she knew Sasuke and Sakura were not married at all. She looked at Kakashi. "See? I told you she didn't need to know." Then she turned back to her dressing table. Kakashi spun her around to face him again.

"Ah but I needed you to tell her so I could do what I am supposed to do." She started to answer that claim again but the next thing she knew her feet weren't touching the ground and he was kissing her. He thoroughly claimed every inch of her mouth. And when he finally let her breathe, her legs were wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. He had both arms around her back, holding her pressed to him, as he huskily said, "I claim you Hatake Natsu Sukai as my wife now and forever more."

**"Ritual step five and DONE!"** cheered Kyuubi.

_"Kyuu! What are you talking about?"_ Natsu entered her mental landscape, one part of her very much involved with what was going on between her and Kakashi but determined to figure out what the demon was really doing as well. When she got there Kyuubi was directing a ball of white chakra to mix with a ball of blue and cementing them with slivers of red. _"What are you doing?"_ she screamed.

**"Tieing the soul of your mate to your soul as is his desire shown by his completion of the ritual mating steps. He desires to be tied to you completely now and forever." **Natsu fell to her butt and sat there blinking not having a single clue what to say or do now. **"Don't worry Little Kit. This does not hurt either of you. Only a demon or a God can connect two souls like this. Usually we demons don't bother connecting human souls but sometimes we find we can not ignore the two souls desiring the bond. Such is the case with you and your mate. You want to be bound to him as much as he desires to be bound to you. So I will be the conduit that allows for it. And once it is done, one soul shall never again be born into life without the other. Neither of you shall ever know the loneliness you have both known in this life. Forevermore you two shall be as one."**

Natsu went back to reality deciding she'd think about what Kyu was doing later. Right now she was a lot more interested in what Kakashi was doing. Neither of them had noticed but Sakura and Sasuke had left the room. More because Sasuke pulled Sakura out than because she wanted to leave. But Sasuke knew Kakashi had waited as long as he was going to wait to claim the team's little fairy girl and he was damned if Sakura was going to spin another fairytale for herself off what she saw happen between Kakashi and Natsu. And Sasuke knew Sakura would indeed twist anything she saw happen between them as something that had happened between him and her instead.

As Kakashi kissed her again Natsu lost all track of anything else going on around them. He kept her preoccupied as he took her back into their bedchamber and laid her on their bed. He joined her after pulling off his shirt and mask. "You're mine, Yoosei Girl. Now and forever." Hours later they dressed and went looking for Sasuke and Sakura. They found them in the restaurant and joined them for some food.

Sakura was teary eyed but trying to glare at Natsu. Sasuke had told her point blank he had no intention of consummating their marriage and every intention of shaking her once they returned to the village. He reminded her of every reason he had listed as to why he would never consent to sleeping with her when there were other more suitable girls for him to choose. He told her point blank that so long as there were suitable girls he was willing to bed of his own initiative, Konoha would never force him to bed a specific girl or take his seed to forcibly make him create a child for them. He reminded her he did not love her. He never had loved her and never would because she had nothing to offer him that he either needed or did not already possess. He point blank told her that while he might never be able to love his wives the way Kakashi loved Natsu he would do his duty by the village with Miski and/or Ami but never with her. The lust in his eye when he had mentioned Ami did more to convince Sakura than anything he had said. And that was why she ordered one drink after another. She had lost the bid for Sasuke's favors even though she had actually gone through a ceremony with him and become his wife.

Kakashi took every opportunity to touch Natsu that he could get. He was totally locked in on the small girl he had spent the day claiming and he couldn't wait to spend the night claiming her as well. For being so very small in size, she fit him perfectly as he had known she would from all the nights of sleeping next to her and waiting for her to fall asleep. She always snuggled into his side, when she fell asleep and he would wait for it to happen every night. Just so he could fall asleep holding her close to him. And he had to admit the nights spent cuddling her had granted him some of the best sleep he could remember getting in years.

Sasuke tried to be supportive of Sakura but he wasn't good dealing with people who needed to get drunk to deal with their disappointments. He knew she was facing the truth finally but it still didn't mean he could or would handle her well drunk. Finally, she was distracted enough for Natsu to slip a tiny pill into her drink. A few minutes later and Sakura was sleeping. Kakashi picked the pinkette up and carried her to the room she shared with Sasuke as the other two teens followed him. He noted the pallet on the floor and laid the pinkette on it. "It's better she's on the floor tonight, Sasuke. This way if she gets sick, you won't end up wearing it." Sasuke shuddered at the thought of the awful wake-up present that would be.

Natsu handed him another pill. "She'll be sick when she wakes up. The pill I gave her will flush the alcohol while she sleeps but her stomach and liver are not used to it so she will get sick. Give her this, when she stops heaving, with dry toast and plain water. Her stomach muscles will be tender and sensitive though so don't allow her more than one piece of toast and only half a glass of the water. Also make sure the water is just slightly below room temperature. Too cold and it'll come back for round two. You'll need to protect her tomorrow. She won't be able to protect herself. These pills do nothing for the headache someone gets from drinking too much but do not blame her for this either. She needed to get drunk tonight." Sasuke nodded and watched as they left his room for their own.

Natsu nervously changed into her nightgown and crawled into bed with Kakashi. He had erected a silence barrier jutsu this time since he had the clarity of thought to do it. But he took his time with Natsu knowing that just because she knew what he wanted and wanted it also, it didn't mean she was going to be brazen about it or respond well to him being brazen. He made love to Natsu again, growling and purring in turns, making sure to give her time to react and adjust to everything he did. The gown was a blue puddle on the floor soon followed by her underwear as he claimed her as his own. She saw the fairy necklace he wore and afterwards asked him about it.

"This way I always have you with me. No matter if I do a mission, as Anbu, without you or not, you will always be with me."

"Oh. I see. That's nicccce." She fell asleep curled once more into his side and clutching the small fairy figurine he wore. He chuckled and untangled her fingers from it so she wouldn't pull on it as they slept. Then he wrapped her in his arms and fell asleep also a very happy and contented man.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Legal Warning!!!! I don't own Naruto verse or any character therein. Ok Legal stuff done. Shew. Now this is another long chapter. Sorry Blackest Night. Natsu isn't getting kidnaped. I didn't think of it or I might have tried it. Kakashi and Sasuke would definitely have gone ballistic if that had happened. But I do hope you like the story anyway. Remember I didn't list it as primarily an adventure story. It is listed as a Romance. Anyway, we're almost done here. Only a couple more chapters to go but there will be an epilogue and here is chapter Nine. Enjoy.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Nine:

In the morning, after Sasuke had given Sakura the pill and dry toast with plain water Natsu had recommended for her they came to Kakashi and Natsu's rooms. Once they were all seated at the table, Kakashi waited for them to all focus on him. "Ok, Sasuke has done as he was required to do. So has my Yoosei Girl and so have I. But in order to open that scroll we need to know Sakura have you done what you need to do yet?"

Sakura sighed. She nodded her head. Not looking at any of them, she whispered, "That's why, I guess, I was getting drunk last night. Sasuke made it very clear he preferred the thought of having sex with Ami because of her flexibility to being with me and he spent most of yesterday pointing out to me how much more suited Miski is to being a proper Kaasan than I am. He even used Natsu as an example of true grace and poise compared to me. All in all, in every single comparison he gave me, I lost. I couldn't lie any more. I couldn't claim a victory in any of it because even Natsu's grace and poise are true comparisons. I'd always been able to say it was fake before but since she admitted yesterday that she really is this girl she is portraying herself as. . . , I guess I just lost my final advantage."

Kakashi turned to Natsu. "You see, Yoosei Girl? I told you there was a reason to tell her the truth."

"I still think it was unnecessary. She would have admitted it soon enough anyway. No girl can live with a constant rejection of everything about her for very long no matter how determined she is."

"Hai, but why make her go through it long than she needed to?" Natsu looked at him with the honest response of 'why not' in her eyes. She didn't say it but the response was there. Kakashi almost grinned but he locked the answering chuckle away before the grin escaped.

"Are you certain about this, Sakura?" he asked instead. "If I bring out the scroll and it still won't open, we will know you are the one who has not done as you needed to do. Sasuke needed to admit he knew his duty and either name a girl he found suitable or claim you as suitable. You need to admit he is not what you thought he was and that your dream of being his wife was not what you thought it would be. Natsu needed to admit she is a girl and let me in and I needed to claim her as my wife as well as admit I couldn't be more pleased over it. For all that I didn't choose to marry her any more than she chose to marry me, I am very happy we are married. But you, Sakura. Have you really realized the truth now?"

Sakura wiped a few stray tears off her cheeks and nodded. "Hai, Sensei. I could hear quite well yesterday. And all this last two weeks, I was seeing how happy you were with her. Hell, she's had you wrapped around her finger from almost the very beginning of our team. Only a fool couldn't see how you were chasing her and that was when we all thought she was a boy." Sasuke laughed at the shocked expressions of both Natsu and Kakashi who were staring at Sakura and blinking rapidly.

"It is true, Sensei. You might have thought Natsu was Naruto consciously but your subconscious knew exactly who she was. You chose missions you knew damn well we," he indicated himself and Sakura, "would not do. Then when Naruto would go to leave you'd challenge him. He'd tell you off for it and you'd laugh. That right there was the big clue. Naruto was the only person to ever get away with telling you off and he did it almost daily."

Sakura took over again. "Then, when he was out of sight, you'd ignore me and give Sasuke a routine exercise and take off to go watch Naruto. Everyone in the village knew Naruto had you in the palm of her hand though no one seemed to know anything about Natsu. It's probably why though Hokage-sama set this up the way he did. By marrying Sasuke and I first in our regular clothes he effectively took both of us out of the way so we could not protest as the adults married you and Natsu off. I was too deep into my dream coming true to care and Sasuke was too busy trying not to pass out or freak out. This way I didn't even notice the change in her clothes and the set-up the adults used to marry the two of you. I would have if I had not been married off first. And, given who I am, I would have protested Natsu being dressed in that manner."

"I might not have wanted to believe she really was a girl and I may have been trying to remind everyone she wasn't, but I did know the truth even then. Just as you guys saw her grace and poise and all the little things that give away a boy pretending to be a girl, I saw them also. I just didn't want to admit it but the truth is no girl wants to be forcibly married off without her friends around her and no time to prepare for it. It is a big change in our lives for us; one of the most important things that will ever happen to us. Everything about us will change as soon as the ceremony comes to a close. So yeah, if I had been paying attention and thinking, I would have protested her being forced into marrying anyone in that manner. She should have been married by a Shinto Monk. Her wedding should have been a village wide celebration. Not some hole in the office proceeding no one even knew about. It was an insult to her." For the first time Kakashi was seeing things clearly from where Natsu stood. Somehow he doubted any of the other adults truly understood how badly they had all insulted his little Yoosei.

But Sakura wasn't finished yet. "I know everyone thinks I only ever paid attention to Sasuke and what involved him but that's not true. I do pay attention to other things such as a boy running around the village with a girls mannerisms and habits. I've known for a long time Natsu was hiding. I just didn't know why or who she really was but I did figure it wasn't my business. When I let myself consciously think about it I assumed Naruto was gay or something and being an orphan that would be really bad for him if anyone else figured it out. So when we became a team I set myself to helping him hide. Not even he deserved what would have happened to him if others saw the things I saw. This mission has been driving me crazy because she had to be a girl for it so she couldn't protest you guys acting like she was a girl and that left it to me to make sure you didn't forget in the village she's Naruto. But there it was pretty easy to help her. I'd see her do something a girl would do or in the way a girl would do it and I'd usually bash her for it. By the time the bashing was over she'd be off to doing something else and forget about whatever it was I knew only a girl would have done."

"So all those times I thought you were hitting me for no reason. . ." exclaimed Natsu.

"Were times I caught you doing something as a girl would. Hai. Well, mostly," she amended. "I knew everyone thought you were a boy. Everything about you said you were the boy they all thought you were but every once in awhile, you'd do something only a girl would do." She sighed. "But when you finally admitted it yesterday and made it very clear you thought it wouldn't help me come to terms with things, I had to reassess everything about myself. I know you think Sensei only wanted you to admit it so he could claim you and I know as well as you do he didn't need your admission at all for that. But he was right about you needing to be the one to tell me the truth. I've been helping you hide for too long to believe from anyone else you wanted to stop hiding. Sasuke tried to tell me a few times but I kept telling him you were just well trained in how to be a girl and that it was probably because the council wanted you to go into the field as a seductress sooner or later and this was a test run of your ability to do that job. If you got Kakashi-Sensei to bed you then it would prove to the Council you were ready to be played in the field. I know that isn't the truth, Natsu. It was just something I could tell Sasuke."

Natsu had shrunk away from her as she laid out that scenario, her face paling as the words poured out of Sakura. She was beginning to hyperventilate at the mere thought of doing that kind of work. And Kakashi had all he could do to get her to focus on him so he could calm her down. But finally she did look at him, the panic clear in her eyes. "Shh, Yoosei Girl. It isn't going to happen. You aren't a boy pretending to be a girl. Remember? Hokage-sama would never let someone do that to you. Neither would Iruka or Koharu. I think even Hiashi and Sakura's Kaasan would have something nasty to say about that. And I would kill the idiot who tried to give you that kind of mission. It isn't going to happen."

Sakura smirked, "But it is one of the very damn good reasons why Sandaime wanted to marry you off, Natsu. As a single girl, looking like you do with the grace and poise you have, well there was no way to keep you out of that field if something happened to him before you were married. But still he shouldn't have done it the way he did."

Natsu squawked and peered all around the room looking for an exit of any kind. Kakashi pulled her onto his lap and rubbed her back telling Sakura, "That's enough. She had no idea of that line of work being something that was even in the cards for her and, as we all know exactly who her guardian is, it never really was. Hokage-sama has done entirely too much to protect her and keep her safe to risk her that way without preparing her for it. Besides even the damn Daimyo was in on this."

"I know, Sensei, but at the time Sasuke was trying to make me admit this is the real Naruto. I was grasping at any straw I could find to hang onto to my fantasy. I wanted, _needed_, to believe she was only playing a role. It was the only way my fantasy held any validity because it was only through that belief could I say I had something the other girls he had chosen did not have. He was trying to get me to agree to help expose her but that was something I couldn't have done no matter how much I wanted to believe in my own little world view. Naruto was her safety blanket from the world as was my fantasy of life as Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke. I didn't want anyone to take away my safety blanket so how could I help take away hers? But then she showed me she was stronger than I was by setting it aside herself. I found, when we left the room," She gave them a wicked grin as she added, "not that either of you noticed we were not here any more. . ." Natsu flushed rosily and buried her face in Kakashi's vest as Kakashi grinned and got a very excited glint in his eye. Sakura laughed while Sasuke just hid his smirk in his tea cup he'd brought in with him. She continued speaking. "Anyway, I found I couldn't hang onto my fantasy without the support of hers. So I got drunk last night to say good-bye to it. Waking up on the floor fully dressed was the clincher I needed that I would never get what I thought I wanted. Then I spent some time thinking about why I even wanted it in the first place when I knew he'd never love me or even desire to be with me. By the time my head stopped spinning a counter rhythm to my stomach I realized I really didn't want to be married yet at all. All I could think about was how Kaasan would have been treating me, as rotten as I was feeling, and comparing it to how Sasuke was acting instead. I realized I preferred how Kaasan deals with me to how he does. And now, Sensei, I just want to go home. Home to my mother. Maybe in a few weeks or so I can find a new goal but right now. . . I just want my mom."

"Understandable, Sakura. Let's open the scroll and hopefully go home."

"Wait a minute," said Sasuke. "You said even the Daimyo was in on this. How'd you figure that one out?"

"Oh. Remember when we got called to the tower to meet with the Daimyo? He gave us a story about agreeing to allow people to oversee your training? Do you remember anyone coming to oversee your training? Ever? And we all had to sign a form for him." One by one they nodded. "Well I have a sneaky little feeling Natsu and I signed an application to wed instead of a consent to be overseen by foreigners during training time. A person can not legally be wed unless they have first signed and gotten a licence. That's the only way I can think of that Hokage-sama could possibly have gotten our signatures on any such form."

Sasuke grinned. "I definitely wouldn't have signed one. I know that for sure."

"Nor, at that time, would I. I think they would have had to tie Yoosei to a chair and force her to sign it as well," admitted Kakashi. "I'm very glad both our Daimyo and Hokage are such sneaky men but I still wouldn't have signed it yet. She's too young still."

"Finally," snapped Natsu. "Someone admits I'm not over the hill because I turned thirteen."

Laughing they fell to opening the scroll. One at a time, each of them bit their thumbs and put the bloody digits on the symbol for their own name. When Natsu placed her blood on the symbol for her name Kakashi chuckled and whispered, "I knew that was your name." She stuck her tongue out at him but said nothing.

The scroll popped open and the marriage license for Kakashi and Natsu lay on the surface of the scroll. Natsu growled and narrowed her eyes upon seeing it while Kakashi just picked it up and looked it over. He whistled when he saw who was actually listed as the officiating personage. "I think Sakura you're fears that her marriage ceremony was not high profile enough for someone of her station are ungrounded," he said handing her the certificate so she could see the signature herself.

"Wow, Natsu. The Daimyo himself oversaw your wedding. Holy Kami. No ninja gets him to oversee their wedding," she said awe in her tones.

"Doesn't matter," muttered Natsu. "I'm still kicking Jijii's butt when we get home. I'm only thirteen." Everyone laughed as Sarutobi in his office winced. Due to an interactive image projection of Sarutobi now sat in the center of the scroll and was listening to every word the foursome said in the inn.

"So you have each done as required of you? Uchiha Sasuke, please answer verbally. Have you accepted your duty to the village and will you fulfill you obligations to us?"

"That depends, Hokage-sama."

"On what?"

"Do I get a say in who I bed or am I to be no more than a stud bull performing for the village herd?" His voice and expression clearly defined his distaste for the manner in which this matter had been handled. "Pink-haired Uchiha Boys will be the domain of Uchiha Itachi, if that's what you want. I'll even go get the bastard and drag him back here to sire the little boys _he_ can name Sue for you."

Laughter rebounded in the room where Sarutobi was letting Team Seven know there were others listening in on the conversation. "Well, that depends," said a chuckling Hokage. "You can name a female or more of your choice but I will not allow you to choose a male for that purpose. You've had sex ed and you know that doesn't work."

"Well, if I were you I would really give it some very careful thought. And remember those boys will be inheriting the Sharingan one day. Do you really want to be alive when they achieve that if either Itachi or myself have to tell them the reason they are _pink_ haired is because you forced us to marry her? If you think I will hold them back kindly remember I will be deaf from her loud screeching long before then." He gave the projection an angelic smirk and added, "I won't be able to hear a thing they are saying when they find out why they have pink hair."

All four occupants of the hotel room could clear hear the gulps in the tower as Sarutobi and whoever else was there had no problem getting the point Sasuke was making. Pink haired boys would definitely be angry boys and with the sharingan they were a potent threat but not necessarily to the enemy because for them the enemy was whoever was responsible for them having pink hair.

Now Sasuke let himself show his anger over the remark Sarutobi had made about him being gay. "Where the hell did this stupid idea come from that I am gay? Sheesh. Ask a medical expert to run a few genealogy compatibility tests for you and everyone jumps to freaking conclusions." Natsu's tinkling laugh rang out and everyone stopped speaking to listen to it.

"Ok but it was you who kissed Uzumaki Naruto the last day at the academy and it was you that sought out his company afterwards. It was also you that showed no interest in the girls who chased you. So yes, we assumed you preferred your own to girls. Name the girl whom you are interested in and I will see what I can do to make it happen."

"The kiss was an accident which, Natsu did you ever figure who was the one who bumped you?"

Natsu shook her head with a frown. "I'm still looking, Sasuke. I will find the bastard though. I owe him a lot of bumps and bruises."

"As for hanging out with Naruto, wouldn't you choose to hang out with someone who didn't act like you were either a fragile little flower going to break down in tears at the drop of a feather or the next coming of Kami? Of course I chose to hang out with someone who treated me like a person. As for the girls chasing me, HAVE YOU LOST WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR MIND! Pay attention to one and you have to pay attention to all of them or there's a cat fight and you're the ball of yarn they're fighting over. Hell, there'll probably be a cat fight anyway."

In the tower, Sarutobi said, "I never looked at it that way before. But still tell us a name and I will see what I can do to make it happen."

"All right. That is acceptable so long as I truly am not married to Sakura. She was never fit to be my wife and well you know it."

Sarutobi grinned at him. "I know and she isn't. Your marriage to her was a mock one. If you had bedded her, I would have arranged for a legal certificate to show up but I take it you did not?"

"Of course not! Pink haired Uchiha Boys! Not in my lifetime." This time the laughter was in the Hokage's chambers. "I would have gladly chosen Natsu here but I think Sensei would have killed me over her if I did. Anyway the two girls Kabuto was testing for me were Tobai Miski and Mitarashi Ami. Both would be suitable wives and perfect compliments to each other as well. I can explain my reasons when we get back if you need to know them though I do think it's none of your business."

"Nope. Not right now though Ami's Aunt might want to give you hell over choosing her niece."

"Tell that crazy snake lady to keep her god damned snakes out of my bed. Ami is already amendable with the idea in a year or so. So is Miski actually but both of them want some time as kunoichi first since it_ is_ what we have spent our lives training for. Unlike the rest of my clan I am not threatened by strong kunoichi. In fact I need them if the children are to be safe when I am away. I already spoke to them about it and we had planned for me to wed both of them at the same time so neither is the matriarch over the other in any way."

Kakashi inserted, "He also mentioned, if those two women are not enough to give the clan a decent restart, the possibly of adding Hyuuga Hanabi, down the line when she gets older, so as to keep her close to home where her family and kin can still see her but she is only a potential_ if_ Ami and Miski do not create enough difference in the blood."

"Wouldn't it have just been easier to tell someone what you were planning?" asked Sarutobi.

"Wouldn't it have just been easier to ask me instead of throwing Ino or Sakura here at me all the freaking time?" The acid was back in his voice and there was a muttered, 'I did ask you' from someone off camera.

Sasuke replied, "Hiashi, you only ever asked me about Ino or Sakura. You were too afraid I might be looking at Hinata. I wasn't. She's _your_ heir. _You _need her. You never once considered I might find being married to any of them unsuitable to my continued sanity or might actually have damn good reason why none of those girls are suitable. Nor did you ever once ask who I did have an interest in." He copiied Natsu's head tilting movement as he peered off center from Sarutobi's image. "You really should pay more attention to Hinata, you know. She could have told you what girls I was interested in. That girl of yours watches everything in the village as well as everyone and it was she who first talked to me of the possibility of Hanabi joining the household when she gets older but I won't take her with that damn seal on her head. No one outside my clan will have that kind of control over one of my wives and in exchange for a secure future for her where you can see her every day, you will work on her attitude to make sure she can fit in smoothly. Right now she's too hoity toity and that would not work but she is very young and I know it can change. She does have breeding to offer as well as the training you give your girls in social situations neither Miski nor Ami have been exposed to. While Miski will be a good Kaasan and Ami will make an excellent defender of the home Hanabi will make a good Hostess for those functions I can not get out of attending. She can also teach those skills to Miski and Ami so all three could attend the functions together."

"I will consider it, Sasuke," said Hiashi off screen. "It would be a good alternative if one is needed but you are correct about the attitude adjusting as well. Let me think about it as she grows up some."

"Acceptable. But no more talk of Ino or Sakura."

Sarutobi laughed again shaking his head as he thought what a simple solution it would have been to just treat Sasuke like a real person instead of a stud bull who couldn't talk at all. He turned to Kakashi. "And you, Kakashi. I take it you figured out what you were supposed to do as well?"

"Hai. Though, like Sasuke says, it might have been easier just to tell me months ago and let me do things my own way, you old busybody. I am perfectly capable of getting my own girl. And maybe if you'd just answered my question when I came and asked you why my senses were at war over her I could have gotten her to be herself for me without all this subterfuge."

"Maybe but you've been single a long time and I had absolutely no reason to believe you wished to change that status anytime soon. Besides, the village needs your heir as well as Sasuke's."

"Well, you're gonna wait a few more years for that then. She's only a child still regardless of what you think. Yoosei Girl needs more time for this growth spurt she swears she's gonna have someday. Besides, I don't want to lose her the way her Kaasan died." The comment showed he knew full well exactly who she was and that she wasn't likely to get a lot bigger than she already was. But it also served to tell the Hokage, the old man was not entitled to any say in their marriage since he had made such a bum rush of it. "And then there's the fact that neither of us are over the hill yet. She's only thirteen to my twenty-three. Not like we are short on time or anything you know."

"Yoosei Girl? Twenty-three?"

"Yep. She's as small and dainty as any fairy so that's what I call her. Too bad if you don't like it. I do and you gave her to me so you have no say over what I call her now. And what do you mean by marrying me off if you didn't even remember how old I was? Sheesh. Yeah. I'm twenty-three. What of it?"

"Actually I like it for her. It fits her. As for the children, I can wait a few years now that I've got you tied down. And know how young you both are," he added shame-faced at having forgotten how very young Kakashi was as well. "And you, Yoosei? Did you do what you were supposed to do?"

"Of course I did. How else do you think we got the blasted scroll open Old Man and I am sooo kicking your butt when we get home. I don't care what you thought you were doing. Kakashi-Sensei is right. You could have just asked us first. And what the hell were you thinking in telling the Inn keeper to lock us in that first night. You sooo deserve a butt kicking."

"And you would have said no," he replied calmly ignoring her comments on kicking his backside. "In fact, when I wanted you to tell him that's exactly what you said."

"That's not the same thing, Jijii, and you know it. You were asking me to just tell him I was a girl. You didn't say a word about him marrying me. Not once did you ask me about him in that way. And it's two whole different ball games, Old Man."

"Well how was I supposed to know that? If you wouldn't tell him you were a girl, how was I supposed to know whether or not you'd agree to be his wife."

"I JUST TURNED THIRTEEN for Kami Sake. Sheesh. What is it with old people anyway? Damn. Can't we just grow up a little more before you have to go marrying us off?" She looked a little sheepish as she added, "But if you'd have asked I would have told you he was the right choice IN A FEW MORE YEARS," she finished on a shout they could swear rattled the windows of the tower room.

She settled more firmly into Kakashi's chest after that outburst. He purred under her ear as she raised her hand to feel for the little necklace he now wore. A soft smile graced her face as her fingers found what they were searching for. Kakashi was looking at her as she was searching for the necklace. Somehow he had a feeling she would always search for it when she needed reassurance he cared for her. He was glad he had bought it and had the guy string it for him to wear. He might have been telling the truth when he said she was a child but living with her as she finished growing up was not going to be a chore at all.

Sarutobi had watched the interaction between them as well. He knew how fond Natsu was of lap sitting and didn't find it odd at all that the small girl had obviously already gotten her mate to agree to being her favored seat for her. He turned to where he assumed Sakura would be and was proven correct when he saw her pink hair and watery green eyes. In a kinder voice than he had used so far, he spoke to her. "All right, Sakura-chan. Your turn. Did you come to the realization we wanted you to see?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. It took a while but when Natsu finally admitted she wasn't Naruto like I wanted, needed, her to be I really had no choice but to admit it. Now all I want is to come home and have a good cry in Kaasan's arms like I did when I was a little girl no bigger than Natsu is now. Of course I think I was maybe eight or so then." Everyone laughed as Natsu stuck her tongue out at Sakura who gave her a weak grin to show she was teasing her. "Then I'll pull myself together and find a new goal for my life. But right now. . ." She sighed sadly, tiredly. "I just want my Mom."

"Then come home. And congratulations to all of you. And Kakashi, needless to say but you ever hurt my Sunshine. . . ."

"I'll never hurt her. To do so is to hurt myself. I may be into giving pain to the enemy but I'm not so much into the receiving end of it."

They rolled the scroll up as the Hokage disappeared from view and everyone went to pack their bags for the return journey. Kakashi was wanting to stay another night but he knew Sakura really did need her mother right now and it really was unfair to make her stay any longer than necessary. So they were on the road within the hour. They traveled until the sun went down and Sasuke told Kakashi, he and Sakura would do the night watch because he was perfectly sure Kakashi wanted to be with Natsu too strongly to be able to concentrate on keeping the camp safe. He was correct so Kakashi just shrugged and nodded his acceptance of the offer.

Later that night Sakura said, "I hope we aren't going to do this for them every night, Sasuke. I mean I don't mind tonight but I don't think I can do it three nights in a row."

"I'll give you help if you need it but they need this freedom before we get back to the village and everyone freaks out when they find out Naruto never existed. Remember how you reacted and what you thought when you first saw her? And that was with the little clues you picked up that everyone else missed telling you there was something off about Naruto anyway. Now think about how Ino will act. And Sakura," He gave her a fierce look full of intent. "I expect you to help her in every way she needs help. I expect you to defend her to the other girls and protect her until she's comfortable in her own skin in the village. No matter who she joined Cell Seven as, she is still our teammate and we do not abandon our own. This counts."

"I won't let her be vulnerable. I told you, I knew before we ever left the academy. I've been helping her play the role she chose all along, Sasuke. I don't plan to stop now."

"Good but as for why we are giving them this time back to the village, it has to do with what guys want from their new wives. Sensei wouldn't claim her before she admitted she really is a girl even though he knew it all along. He knew their marriage was for real before I even suspected ours wasn't. So imagine how hard it was to lie beside her every night knowing you could have her and not taking her because she wouldn't tell you she was a real girl."

"Kami," breathed Sakura. "Sensei must be made of steel. Especially if they packed her the same kind of things they packed for me."

Sasuke tried to envision Natsu wearing some of the outfits they had packed for Sakura and he grew angry over the mere idea of her in any of that. Then he remembered what Kakashi had said when he made Sakura put her things back in her bag after her attempt to steal Natsu's little figurines. He smirked. "I don't think they did, Sakura. I honestly think they were trying to get a message through to you whereas with her, Hokage-sama just wanted her to have a strong protector so she could finally be herself. That's something she's never been able to do before."

Sakura went into their tent no longer feeling the pressure to get Sasuke to feel something for her. For the first time in years she fell asleep not wondering how to get him to notice her. She found her dreams full of how she would have felt if she knew she was a little girl but she had to hide from everyone as a little boy. She cried in her sleep for all the things Natsu should have been able to do but never could simply because she couldn't let anyone know she was a girl.

Sasuke stood his half of the night watch. He was tempted to let Sakura keep sleeping but he knew that was a bad idea so he woke her and waited until he was sure she was awake before he fell asleep. He had seen in the flickering light of their campfire their Sensei making love to Natsu and knew it had been the right choice to let the two of them have the nights to themselves. The jutsu may have blocked sound and scents but it did nothing to block images.

The next night Sasuke gave Sakura a caffeine pill explaining to her what it was and why he was giving it to her. He told her to hang onto it until she absolutely needed it because the pills were addictive if she took too many of them. But he also knew she was used to getting a full night of sleep because he knew Naruto had covered her shift more often than he hadn't. Plus, he figured she wouldn't get addicted off two of the small brown pills. Not only that but they tasted like crap. They worked but they didn't taste good enough to make anyone want to take them a second time.

They made it back to the village two days later. Kakashi knew Sasuke and Sakura were taking their time to allow him and Natsu enough alone time before the realities of their lives intruded upon them. As soon as they entered the village all of them went to report in at the tower. Sakura ran to her Mother as soon as she saw her and Kiku just smiled and opened her arms for the girl. "Kaasan," Sakura cried, with a tremulous smile clearly trying not to cry.

"Shh. It's ok now, Kura-chan. We'll go home as soon as you give Hokage-sama the report on the mission. You can tell me all about it then and I'll make it all better for you just as I used to when you were little." She rubbed Sakura's back and spoke to her in a low comforting tone holding the girl close and hiding her from everyone until she composed herself again.

And so Team Seven stepped before the Hokage to give their report on the mission. For the first time in the history of the Honeymoon Mission it was actually used for what it was named for. Kiku herself ran a discreet check on Natsu and Sakura just to be sure neither girl was pregnant and that Sakura was still a virgin while Natsu was not. She gave the Hokage a brief nod indicating all was as it should be and he relaxed. Kiku gave Natsu a shot to which the small girl gave her a dirty look while rubbing her arm. "What was that for?"

"It's a preventative to keep you from getting pregnant before you're ready to. You'll need a new one every three months. You already know that, Natsu, since Iruka has been giving it to you all along now."

Natsu's eyes had gone wide when she'd mentioned the possibility of her already being pregnant and Kiku smirked. "I couldn't have given you the shot if you were, Yoosei."

Again the tiny girl scowled. "Is everybody gonna call me that now? I'm not that small." She stamped her foot in frustration.

"Wanna bet?" smirked Sasuke, unbending enough to tease his teammate.

"I'm big enough to kick your ass, Uchiha," she growled.

"And probably the only one of our year willing to do it who could get away with it," he admitted wryly.

She tilted her head and asked, "Huh? Why is that?"

He looked at her from the top of her head to the tip of her feet before glancing back up again. Kakashi growled and pulled her to him possessively. "Well, that would be one reason," Sasuke admitted. "But then I'd probably be too distracted watching you move to pay attention to the ass kicking I was getting, too. You're every bit as capable of bending in ways that ought to be illegal as Ami is and it's just as distracting on you as it is on her."

All the adults in the room began laughing as Natsu flushed bright red and put her foot to work in kicking his butt right then and there. Kakashi, still laughing caught her and lifted her off her feet, telling her not to ask questions if she didn't want the answers to them. "But that's perverted," she protested looking up at him while pointing at Sasuke.

"No. It was truthful. You are distracting when you fight. And that is a good thing unless it's a spar and the opponent won't fight back. So Sasuke, you're gonna have to get past it. She can't help it she's a girl."

"Ok, the direction of this team has changed," Sarutobi said. "I can not in good conscious have this team with such valuable ninja as front line fighters right now so I am reassigning your duties to village security. Kakashi, you will train your team on their fighting abilities with an eye towards maintaining village security. Also you will train them to recognize the small signs that allow us to identify anyone who might be trying to sneak in or might not be who they say they are. All of you have an above average intelligence so I am also assigning each of you to the espionage department to work in the codes division."

"All of us," asked Sakura, looking at Natsu. She had never even considered the fact that just as Natsu's true sex was hidden under a henge so was her true intelligence and abilities.

"Actually Natsu was the head of your class in intelligence. She dumbed herself down as Naruto so as to make a clear distinction between her two personas," said Iruka from the back of the office.

The team was eventually dismissed and Kakashi took his wife home. She had automatically turned to head for her apartment but he'd caught her hand and steered towards his place instead. "You live with me now, remember?" She blushed but smiled happily as she fell into step alongside him. They ran into Gai on the way who of course insisted on being introduced to the lovely little girl Kakashi was taking care of nowadays.

"Gai," Kakashi sighed. "She's not a little girl I'm taking care of for a few weeks. She's my wife."

"She's your . . .what?"

"She's my wife. She's young. I will grant you that much but she's a ninja and she is my wife."

"But. . .when? Why wasn't I invited to the wedding? How could you get married without me by your side." Typical of Gai he was shouting and gesticulating wildly as he spoke and attracting quite a crowd of observers. Large tears rolled down his face over the thought of his rival getting married and not inviting him to stand as his best man. Kakashi got another clue as to what might have gotten Natsu so upset with her guardian over their marriage. She'd been denied a wedding like all little girls dream of having. He made a mental note to see if there was a away to fix that if she really did wish for a normal wedding.

"It was a quiet, surprise affair because her guardian felt we would both object to being married if given a chance to think of all the reasons not to be married at this time. Her age being the main one I can think of though my own age is also a solid reason against it right now. But it was a legal wedding with the Daimyo presiding over it and signing his consent for her to marry now."

"How old is she, Hatake?" asked Kurenai, who had been attracted along with her boyfriend, Asuma, by the noise Gai was making. "She doesn't look more than nine or ten at the most."

Natsu grumbled, "I'm not _that _damn small." She gave Kurenai a dirty look for the insult.

Asuma just grinned when he saw her. "Oh she's older than she looks, Kurenai-Dear," he said as Natsu said, "Hi, Uncle Asuma."

"Hi, Natsu-chan. So Pops finally found someone you didn't reject right off the bat, huh?"

She blushed but nodded. "You know I would have kept rejecting everyone until he got to the right one, Uncle."

"Hai, I know but still. . .I'm actually surprised he got to him so fast."

Natsu tilted her head and admitted. "You know, that is kind of surprising. I didn't expect him to get to Sensei for a couple more years yet. I wonder why he did?"

Asuma laughed and pointed at Kakashi who blinked in surprise. "Probably because he was sniffing around and getting under your skin so well. Pops is very smart, Natsu-chan. And most people don't get under your skin that well or easily."

Her finger rose to her lips as she thought about it. Finally she nodded. "Maybe but I still think he had help figuring it out. This is the guy who didn't know Raidou plays for his own team and I thought everyone in the village over five knew that."

Everyone laughed about that as Kurenai asked, "So I ask again who is she? I know I have never seen her before."

"She is my wife. She is Hatake Namikaze Natsu Sukai, age thirteen and a genin of the Hidden Leaf. She is also one of my genin on team seven with Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke," answered Kakashi putting his hands on her shoulders and making it very clear he claimed the relationship openly and honestly.

"Wait a minute. What happened to Uzumaki Naruto?" asked a random jounin in the crowd. "Did the Demon Brat finally get himself killed?" asked another. Gai had the guy by the throat almost before he finished the question. no one even saw the green beast moving before the loudmouth was daggling in the air with his feet sevearl feet off the ground turning purple in the face and clawing desperately at Gai's meaty hand that was crushing his airway.

Natsu answered for them, silencing both Kakashi and Asuma in an instant. "Naruto is . . .around. But because of idiots like you, he did not wish to stay in the village any more. So he is. . .away."

Kakashi didn't contradict her and neither did Asuma but both wanted to know her reasoning for the lie. Each was sure she had a good one but neither knew exactly what it was. So Kakashi led the way to his place, telling Gai to drop the idiot and when he, Natsu, Kurenai, Asuma and Gai were all inside Kakashi said, "Ok Yoosei Girl, spill it. Why did you lie to him about Naruto?"

"Because I don't want any links between Naruto and I. I am me and he was himself." She sighed as she found the figurines in her bag and brought them out. She unwrapped them and set them on the coffee table so she could play with them as she explained. Kurenai was watching every move the girl made and finding her as delightful to watch as the guys were.

Asuma was looking at the pieces carefully. "They're beautiful, Natsu-chan, but bluebells?"

"Hai. They're little bells, Uncle. They make a soothing sound when I set them in motion. He bought these for me." She pointed to Kakashi.

"Actually I bought the bluebell one and had the other one made for her," Kakashi corrected her. "But still, Yoosei Girl. Someone is going to make the connection sooner or later between you and Naruto."

"Why should they? Naruto was clearly loud and obnoxious. He was rude and very uncouth. He rarely ever thought beyond his next bowl of ramen or his next mission. I am not any of those things. Besides now maybe the village can get over itself and put the past where it belongs. The only reason they held on so long is because he was around to remind everyone of what they lost that day. But he never did anything to dredge it up himself. They did it on their own because they wanted to. Without him to focus on. . ." she let it trail off and one by one the group of jounin had to admit she had a point.

Asuma said, "Ok. I think then we tell Pops and the council her story of Naruto getting tired of dealing with shit here and taking a trip of an unknown duration. Then we forcibly back up the story to anyone we find doubting it. I think we should give it every chance of succeeding."

Kurenai said, "Just one question first. Which one was real? Are you really a little girl who pretended to be a boy or a little boy who is now pretending to be a girl?"

Natsu's tinkling laugh sounded bringing a soft look to Kakashi's face and a smile of genuine joy to Asuma's. "She's a girl, Kurenai. She always was but until Pops could find her a strong husband, and until she reached an age to marry said man, she couldn't _be_ a girl. The villagers would have killed her in a heartbeat if she had tried to be herself or worse. So Pops made her a boy on the day she was born as he took her from her Otousan's arms. Yondaime gave her a name to use as a boy but her Kaasan named the daughter first. She was born Namikaze Natsu Sukai and I always thought the name fit her to a tee but Yoosei Girl is pretty damn good too."

"Hmph," Natsu pouted crossing her arms. "I'm not that short."

"Hai, you are," all the jounin said together. Kurenai added, "Even Hinata looks tall next to you."

"Well, someday I'll grow," she groused. Then to forget the issue she pushed the button on her music box and a smile of pure joy lit up her face. The gamin grin was matched by the clapping of her hands that Kakashi was getting used to hearing as a sparkle entered her eyes and she laughed as the tiny glass fairy danced around the glade. He brought cold beers from the refrigerator for Asuma, Gai, Kurenai and Himself and a soda for Natsu. Then he said, "I only have one question. Who taught her how to act like a girl? She was so perfect during this mission even Sasuke noticed and I swear that boy doesn't notice anything about girls if he can find a way not to."

"Koharu did. She made it her job to make sure that even though Natsu could never be seen in public anywhere she would know everything ladies needed to know so when Pops did find her a strong enough husband she could be herself without having to learn how first. She really does like that, Kakashi," said Asuma.

"Hm. She does. Every time she turns it on she claps her hands and smiles. I think I'll never get tired of watching her enjoy such a simple thing as that."

"She hasn't gotten many gifts over the years that she really likes and the few she did get usually got destroyed if she couldn't put them in her bedroom. Her bedroom was the only room where she could ever be herself and all her treasures had to be kept in there if she wanted them to stay in one piece. There were too many times villagers raided her place to teach the demon a lesson for her to ever openly display pleasure in something like this. She must trust you to have let you see she likes those two pieces this much."

The comment made Kakashi's week. He'd never really thought about things from her point of view before but he'd known she had good reason for hiding herself as soon as the Hokage told him to look at her and then look at his Sensei's portrait.

"So, my rival. Will you need someone to work with your other two genin while you and the youthful Yoosei settle in here?" boomed Gai causing Natsu to jump.

"Gai! Inside voice," snapped Kakashi. "And no. Hokage-sama has given us a week off since we just came home from a Honeymoon Mission for Sakura and Sasuke's benefit."

"A Honeymoon Mission?" questioned Kurenai.

"Hai. A Honeymoon Mission is a last ditch attempt to break a fan-girl of her obsession before it gets a team into hot water they can't get out of. It's only done when the team truly feels the girl in question is worth saving but she won't listen to anyone who tries to tell her the facts of life," explained Asuma.

"Well, it was a little more than that in our case but basically it was for that reason we did have the mission. Hokage-sama felt each of us was hiding behind a shield we needed to drop but would not drop unless he made us."

"Explain please," Kurenai requested.

"Well, it's like this. Yoosei was hiding as a boy and driving me nuts. My eyes told me she was a boy but my nose was telling me she was a girl. Her actions were just as divided as was her voice. No matter how hard I looked I couldn't figure out if she was a girl or a boy and she wouldn't tell me at all. I was ignoring the other two to try and catch her out but she was just as good in her mask as I am at hunting. We were getting nowhere and I at least was having a lot of fun getting there." He grinned as she made a face.

Gai and Asuma smiled, "We know." Asuma added, "You were trailing Naruto all over the village. And every time he'd get angry and tell you to go to hell and what to do while you were there, you'd just laugh and ask if you could take him with you. Everyone in the village knew you were having fun. I think you even gave up on your books while you were playing with Naruto."

Kakashi thought about that. He blinked in surprise. "You know, I think I did. I know I didn't pack any for this last mission and I didn't even miss them."

Kurenai said, "Anyway, on with the explanation of why your team needed a Honeymoon Mission."

"Oh yeah. Well, Sakura was so into her fantasies she wouldn't hear any talk of how she wasn't right for Sasuke or how she needed to go train. She wouldn't do any mission that might have her getting sweaty or soiled in any way so that Sasuke would not be disgusted with her smell or appearance. Nor would she do anything but sit and watch him as he did his kata and exercises."

"Then there was Sasuke, himself. He also would not do any mission he felt was beneath him and he would not acknowledge his duty to the village in naming a girl he was interested in. That, as it turns out, was more because no one actually asked him who he was interested in than anything else but it also had a lot to do with the mob that chases him everywhere he goes. He wouldn't single out a girl because he didn't want his fan-girls to target her. He actually already had two girls picked out and had spoken to each of them to see how they felt about the idea. My understanding is that in a couple years he will marry both of them at the same time."

"So Hokage-sama set us up. He wanted Yoosei Girl married to me before I could object or she could, which I have to admit we both would have. She because she is only thirteen and doesn't believe she should have had to marry yet and me because we are both too young. But I also like to do my own chasing, not have them handed to me on a platter. But he had his reasons and I find I do not object now. He and the Daimyo both. Actually I haven't objected from the moment I found out it wasn't a mock marriage at all and I found that out once I settled the issue of her identity in my mind and unravelled the seal on the scroll he handed me. By the time I woke her for her first watch shift I was pretty comfortable with the idea of being her husband. Our second day leaping through the trees I was wishing it wasn't a mock marriage at all. And by the time we discovered I couldn't open the scroll at the hotel, I knew it wasn't a mock marriage at all. I still denied it for a day or two but once I unravelled that seal I knew who she was to me and admitted that though Kickball with a Hokage ball sounds like a good new hobby for up and coming shinobi, I really don't mind."

"Sasuke figured out what he was supposed to do pretty dang quickly but she's stubborn. She knew what she was supposed to do and not only would she not do her part, she wouldn't tell me my part either because my part revolved around her. She transcribed the seal for us and the seal said what we were each there to do. She wrote out Sasuke's part and then Sakura's. Then she wrote out mine and when she realize what she'd written, she scratched it out and wrote something new I know damn well Hokage-sama did not include in the seal. Then she denied her name was on there at all. All she'd say about the mission was she was gonna kick Jijii's butt when we got home."

Asuma laughed. Kurenai was smirking and Gai was confused. Kakashi walked over and sat down in the chair behind Natsu. Without thinking about it he reached for her and she climbed into his lap keeping her eyes on her music box fairy as she leaned her head on his chest where she could hear his heart beating. For Gai's benefit, Kakashi said, "I was supposed to claim her, Gai. To commit myself to her and only her. But to do that I had to get her to admit she was the real deal and she wouldn't admit any such thing."

"But Sasuke had also figured out she was really a girl and while he was working on getting Sakura to admit it, I was courting Natsu. Then the night I got her this piece, Sakura stole it from her because if I was going to buy her things then I should also buy things for Sasuke and Sakura. Since I hadn't, Natsu shouldn't get to keep such nice pieces as those. I wasn't as nice as I should have been about getting them back for Natsu but I also didn't care. That fairy in the moonglade is Natsu. It isn't anyone else and I was damned if some spiteful little girl was going to keep it and possibly break it just because her fantasy wasn't working out for her." All three of the jounin took a closer look at the small glass fairy, who wasn't dancing anymore, and realized it was Natsu.

"Holy. . .no wonder she likes it so much," said Asuma. "The guy who made this. . .he's really good."

"That's the second casting he made of her with fairy wings. I have the first one on a chain I wear."

"Show us," said Asuma as Kurenai and Gai both nodded. Natsu had fallen asleep. So carefully, trying not to wake her, he pulled the little fairy out from under his vest. "It's been a long day since we shut up camp at sunrise to make it home today. Sakura really wanted her mom so we didn't dawdle on the way back. We actually traveled as fast as we could for as long as we had light to see by." The small lie didn't bother him at all. He wanted them to go so he could put his wife to bed without their supervision.

Asuma laughed and said, "So in other words you're saying leave now so I can put my wife to bed and get some sleep myself."

Kakashi grinned and nodded. The other jounin all left and Kakashi carried Natsu to their room. He took off her shoes and outerwear before getting her pack from the other room. Then he pulled his favorite of her nightgowns over her head and stripped himself down before crawling in beside her. Just as she had every night for the past couple of weeks she curled into his side and he fell asleep cuddling her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Legal mumbo jumbo: I do not own Naruto verse in any way shape or form. All characters and places within the show or the manga are the property of someone else. Only this idea is my own. Here is the final chapter. After this there will be an epilogue but then the story is ended. I hope you all read and enjoy.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Chapter Ten:

Before noon the next day everyone knew there was a new genin girl in the village and she was on Team Seven replacing Uzumaki Naruto. Asuma had told Sarutobi, Natsu's lie about Naruto and the reasoning behind it as soon as he got home the night before. So first thing in the morning Sarutobi had called the council and other higher ups together and told them the same story. Naruto was tired of shouldering all the grief of the village all the time for events he had no say or control over and so he had left for a distant outpost. He would not be back until such a time as he was needed or could be convinced he would no longer have reason to fear for his personal safety. Since Sarutobi didn't name an outpost, he didn't have to worry about anyone sending for confirmation of his arrival but he knew those who knew Naruto and were not his enemy would know Natsu was still here. Those who weren't his friends, knew nothing of Natsu but would not inquire anyway just being glad to be rid of the threat they thought the boy represented to the village. For everyone else, he sent a message to Jiraiya to send communications back every once in awhile claiming to be from him but nothing too specific or racy. Naruto might have been rude and sometimes crude but he was never sexist or the type to tell off color jokes. He sent samples of Naruto's handwriting so Jiraiya could pracitce the style and get to know the boy he was to portray in those communications lest someone figure out Naruto wasn't out there from what he said or how he said it or wrote it. Sarutobi had no doubt more than one of Naruto's enemies had seen his handwriting a time or two and would know it if they saw it again.

Since he had given Kakashi and Natsu the week off and Sakura as well, Sarutobi had Gai pick up Sasuke for taijutsu training while Asuma handled his nin and ken jutsu training until the rest of his team was ready to be active again. Both jounin had agreed to work with the Uchiha longer if Kakashi still wanted to be alone with Natsu and Kurenai told Sarutobi to send Sakura to her if Kakashi was not ready to go back to work when his week was over. She didn't like it that a thirteen year old girl was getting all her innocence taken away from her like that but Asuma had explained everything to her before they came in. She knew the marriage truly was the best outcome for Kakashi's little wife. All three told Sarutobi that newly married people quite often needed more than a few days to get used to being married. Add to that the fact that being able to actually openly be herself was likely to cause more problems than Sarutobi had ever really thought about for Natsu. While they agreed Sakura really only needed a week of coddling time with her Mom and the support of Ino, Hinata and Tenten, Natsu was a different story. Natsu didn't have any girlfriends to help her adjust and she was bound to be afraid of appearing in public period without some very firm support she knew loved her. So the three jounins would handle Kakashi's genin until Natsu could face the village as herself.

Sarutobi nodded knowing he hadn't considered that side of things at all. Not once had he thought about the fact that living in secret as she had Natsu did not have any friends her own age or the effect that would have on her now. Naruto had been barely tolerated by his peers but they didn't even know Natsu. He called in his council of advisors who had helped him raise the girl and laid the problem on the table for them all. Hiashi said it would actually be a simple matter to solve. He would send Hinata with Neji as her bodyguard over to meet Natsu that afternoon when she was finished with her team training. He knew Hinata would find the fairy girl enchanting because his Hinata was too gentle not to. He didn't bother to explain his entire clan knew Naruto had never really existed and even though Natsu had cooked up the story about Naruto choosing to leave Konoha his law with his clan was very much still in effect. If any of his clan spoke of the girl being the demon carrier they would die before they finished the sentence. He would not tolerate her getting hurt over something she'd had no say in.

Hinata wasn't sure what was going on that afternoon when her Otousan told her and Neji to go to Hatake-san's home to meet his wife. She knew she should have an invitation if this was something formal she was expected to bring a gift or something to but since he hadn't said any such thing she wasn't sure just what was expected of her.

Neji was just as perplexed as he walked alongside his gentle cousin to the address Hiashi-sama had provided them. But when he knocked on the door he found Kakashi was expecting them both. He invited them inside and told them what was going on before he asked them if they wanted to meet the real Naruto. Hinata nodded shyly all the while wondering why he thought she hadn't known Naruto was really a girl. When Kakashi had settled the teens in the den of his home and come in with refreshments for them she hesitantly asked, "Natsu-chan? Why did Kakashi-san think I did not know you were a girl? We went through the academy together and I do possess a working Byakugan."

"Again no one asked me who knew from who doesn't, Hina-chan. I guess they thought because you never showed you knew and neither did anyone else from your clan, then the henge was not penetrable by your clans eyes."

"Actually that was more because Otousan threatened to kill the first Hyuuga who mentioned the truth even if they were only talking to their mirror," said Hinata, smiling wryly.

Neji smirked and said, "He actually did kill someone he caught talking about it once. I remember wondering what girl was masquerading as a boy and for what reason. Now it makes sense but then it just gave me more reason to think the main branch was high-handed with the lives of the branch family."

"Your whole clan knows?" asked Kakashi.

Hinata nodded. "Otousan found out when I came home asking him why Uzumaki Naruto was hiding in a henge and pretending to be a boy when she was actually a very cute girl. I was only seven and didn't know the facts of life yet or that it was a secret no one was supposed to know. Nor did I know anything about henges at the time. Otousan went and dug around some and came back telling me no matter what not to tell anyone I knew the truth. He said it was done for Natsu's own protection since she is and always has been an orphan and some people don't like her very much. He told me if those people knew she was a little girl she could get very badly hurt and maybe die from it. Later on I found out what he meant but at the time I didn't need to know anything more."

Over the course of the following week Hinata was at Natsu's side as they worked to bring her into the light of the village. Hinata was a calm support for the small girl helping her explain where she had been to the other girls and why they were finally being allowed to meet her. Sakura joined the two girls and Hiashi always made damn sure Neji was close at hand also. Now that Natsu was Kakashi's wife, he just knew a single person allowed to hurt the tiny girl would lead to a bloodbath.

Ino was jealous at first but when she found not only was Natsu not interested in any of the village boys but already married to Kakashi-Sensei, she came around very quickly. She took on the daunting task of initiating Natsu into the world of the teenage girl but Kakashi put his foot down when it came to anything remotely resembling being a fan-girl of any boy for whatever reason Ino claimed someone was drool worthy. Natsu had just smiled and laughed every time Ino tried to convince him it was a normal thing for a teenage girl to do. Nor would he let her talk Natsu into putting up pink things in his room or hanging posters of supposed superstars on his walls. It became a game between Ino and the jounin as to what teenage things Natsu was going to be allowed to indulge and which ones were off limits as a married woman sharing her bedroom with Kakashi. Natsu and the other girls just stood back and watched the game play out. The end result was Kakashi gained his own niche in the gathering of the young people that he would not have otherwise had since he was a jounin-sensei to three of their number and of the decade before theirs.

Tenten took to teaching Natsu kunoichi skills along with Hinata and Kurenai and Ino joined the sessions as did Sakura. So to all extents and purposes Kurenai actually had two teams she was training. But the red-eyed woman didn't mind at all knowing full well the bonding the genins were doing was probably one of the most important things they would ever do and to see Kakashi's Yoosei being accepted by her true peers was worth all the tea in Tea Country. Everyone who met Natsu soon began calling her Yoosei much to her disgust and Kakashi's amusement.

But the guys of her generation took a little longer to come around but then they had a different reaction to her than the girls and the older generation did. Kiba just could not get over the fact that his nose had not told him Naruto was a girl. Nor was he willing to accept her story of being Kakashi's wife no matter how much proof he was shown. He insisted, like Hinata, she was just playing hard to get and would come around to see she was best off with him in time. He simply would not believe he was not the best looking guy she could get and he was determined to show her exactly how women should behave around alpha males like him. Even the clan dogs had tried to warn him the girl had another alpha and was not interested in him but Kiba wouldn't listen. As determinedly as he'd once chased after Hinata's skirt he was now panting after Natsu's.

Shikamaru took one look at her, got a bloody nose and passed out. He didn't even have time to mutter his catch phrase. All the rookies just stood there staring at him wondering if he'd just decided it was time for a nap or if he really had passed out like they thought he had. When he woke up again Ino was giving him a bad time for passing out the way Hinata was known to do while everyone else was laughing at him. But Natsu wasn't even looking at him. She was with Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura and definitely the center of their group. Kakashi had taken a possessive and yet protective stance behind Natsu clearly showing his claim on the tiny girl. Shikamaru bowed his head in acknowledgment of the message Kakashi was giving him.

Chouji almost forgot to eat for a full day when he saw her. He knew instantly who she was because the form might be a girl now but the mannerisms were still Naruto's. They were just a hell of a lot more fitting now than they ever had been on him. To him, whatever reason Natsu had chosen to hide as Naruto was none of his business. One look had told him if she was single there would be entirely too many guys on her skirt for her to ever look twice his direction so he had gone back to his normal routine without a qualm.

Shino sent his bugs to see if she was really telling the truth and that night he and his colony had a very serious falling out over the fact that the bugs had not noticed the henge that concealed Naruto. It took a visit to the Hokage's office to fix things between the bugs and Shino, who did not want to hear any excuses from the bugs. He also didn't care who she was associated with. His only concern was that there had been a person in the village who was not as they had appeared to be and his bugs had not caught it even though he had known Naruto for years. They had sat in the same corner of a classroom for most of their years in the academy and the bugs had suspected nothing. To Shino, the bugs had allowed themselves to get overwhelmed by the bad chakra and looked no farther and that was inexcusable.

Lee didn't understand what all the fuss was about but he also didn't think it was very youthful of Naruto, as he insisted on calling Natsu, to hide herself the way she had. Gai had to take him aside and very firmly told him to never call Natsu that name again. He then punished Lee for having done so already and promised the boy that if he ever heard of Natsu getting hurt because Lee forgot, his punishment would be ten times worse than what she suffered from it. But he told him Kakashi would have something very nasty to say to him if Yoosei Girl got hurt because Lee couldn't remember her name. Lee got the message very quickly when he had to be carried to his home by Neji. Neji wasn't any too gentle when it came to dealing with the injured Lee which let him know he wasn't any happier over Lee's slip-up than Gai was. He also delivered his own warning to the bowl cut boy to watch his mouth or suffer because if anything happened to Yoosei because Lee shot his mouth off Neji would take the blame from his Uncle for having failed to properly school his teammate and for having failed to protect Yoosei. And if Neji suffered damn sure the big mouth that led to it was going to suffer as well.

Team Seven settled into their roles as village guards and decoders pretty smoothly since both Kakashi and Sasuke knew they needed children before it would be safe for them to be the same kind of ninja they had been before Sasuke grew up and Kakashi had found Natsu. Since Sakura was reassessing herself, she also didn't mind being on duty in the village. She knew she needed to grow a lot before she went into the field. She needed to find a new direction for herself and that was going to depend on finding out who she was and what made her happy more than any fairytale romance story. Being a part of a Honeymoon Mission once in a lifetime was enough for her. She never wanted to do that again. And Natsu was simply too used to being told she needed to be sheltered and protected to question staying in the village now. It was just another facet of her life to date and absolutely nothing new.

Sarutobi did avoid becoming the ball in a new pasttime game for Konoha residents but he still spent more than a few weeks checking and double checking everything Natsu or Kakashi could have possibly have gotten to. They however were bidding their time. They wanted him to relax and think they had forgotten about their revenge. He did. And that was when they struck. Natsu snuck into his office and replaced all his tobacco with tea leaves while Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura slipped around the village buying up every single leaf and bud available. Even Asuma fell in with their plan and hid his cigarettes so his Pops couldn't just take his until the shops got a new shipment. An anguished wail came from the tower as Sarutobi discovered what they had done. He looked out his window to find a huge banner telling him in no uncertain terms "NO MORE MATCHMAKING."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Once again the Legal stuff must come first: I do not own or ever will own Naruto verse or any person or place therein. Naruto Universe is someone else's creation that I simply play around in and have a good time messing up. Here is the promised Epilogue I hope everyone has enjoyed the story and found it somewhat satisfying. I know parts of it could have been a lot better and if I had taken it in a different direction it could have grown into a much longer and alot more involved story but I wanted to write something more light hearted and fun than is my usual style. Angst is good and all but sometimes you need to smile instead of cry. As for Sakura and her apparent change of heart, she's a teenage girl people. No one but another teenage girl or someone who once was a teenage girl ever will understand why they do the things they do. Anyway Enjoy the epilogue.**

**The Honeymoon Mission**

by The Mother Rose

Epilogue:

Four years passed quietly in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Natsu settled in happily with her age group with only a few minor bumps and bruises along the way. The people of the village forgot about Naruto when no word ever reached them of his whereabouts or things occurring with him. Jiraiya did send the communications but no one ever asked about him so Sarutobi didn't see any need to remind the populace of the golden haired orange wearing loud mouthed boy. The people accepted Natsu as they never had Naruto having no reason to believe the dainty girl was the same person as he had been. Those who had known Naruto and come to see him differently than their fellow villagers had a few choice words for Kakashi over Naruto leaving the village safety as he had done but Kakashi just took all the abuse and then pointed to Natsu. He let her explain things to these people if she felt they could be trusted to hold her secret. For those who had seen the truth of Naruto's existence there was no question at all but that the dainty girl would not have been safe as herself and what the rest of the village didn't know wasn't going to kill them where the jinchuuriki was concerned. They all walked away vowing to make damn sure nothing happened to her now that she was in her true skin.

Kiba got the snot kicked out of him once because he didn't believe Natsu was really Kakashi's wife and was trying to make the dainty girl go out with him. But when Kakashi overheard Kiba telling some of the other boys that if she was so easy as to give herself to her team captain than she surely wouldn't object to being with someone younger and more energetic like him, Kakashi told Kurenai to keep her nose out of it and let him put the arrogant pup in his place. No damn dog in heat was going to claim what Natsu didn't want to give and damned if he would let anyone sully her name like that. He was tired of making excuses for the punk and, he pointed out, all the rookies had told him more than once to leave Natsu alone. Yoosei was getting tired of his shit and having to fend off his groping hands every time she tried to spar with someone and he forced his way into the spar which he did any time he found out Yoosei was sparring with another.

Still Kurenai would have objected but Asuma stepped up and told her flat-out to leave it to Kakashi. He told her, "This is exactly why Pops married Natsu-chan to him in the first place. Because of how small and how cute she is, guys are always going to try this crap, though not many are as aggressive as Kiba is about it. By Kakashi being her husband, he has a legal right to beat the crap out of them until they learn their place. Kiba is a dog in his conquests and he only wants her because she's cute and claims to have married Kakashi when she was thirteen. We know she did but Kiba wants it to be a lie so he can claim she's a harlot and therefore free game to claim. If you interfere you tell Natsu, Kakashi can not protect her. Not only that but you tell her he doesn't want to defend her honor. You also tell everyone else the same thing. You tell Kakashi you will not allow him to protect his wife and you tell Kiba you think he has a right to poach another man's claim. And that basically tells everyone in the village they can harass her all they want and it's fine with you. Besides I saw the spar today where he tore her top just so he could fondle her breasts to see if her nipples would get hard for him. That had nothing to do with the spar and everything to do with what he wants to do to her."

Kakashi growled, "He did what!?" The menace in his voice was enough to tell Kurenai that if she even thought of stopping Kakashi he would beat her down and then beat Kiba into a coma.

Akamaru had been present at the spar between Natsu and Ino that Kiba had intruded on, telling Ino it was his job to put Natsu in her place which was under him on her hands and knees as he pounded into her. None of his moves were spar approved moves and all of them were designed to humiliate Natsu as she kept trying to get away from him. She was in tears by the time the girls had finally managed to get between her and Kiba with her top torn and rough bruises showing on her flesh where he had grabbed her to try and force her cooperation with being raped in front of everyone. There had been a large crowd of other genin and chunnin present and those who didn't really understand were watching what was happening wondering if this girl really was the trash Kiba was making her out to be. Akamaru understood that and it had been a very unhappy puppy who had returned to his kennel that night refusing to have anything to do with his partner. He told Kuromaru, his Kaasan, about the scene and how disgracefully his partner had behaved towards the mate of another Alpha.

Kuromaru had gone straight to Tsume, her partner, and told her. Hana and her dogs were present at the time but Kuromaru was upset because Akamaru was upset. She didn't know how to help her pup deal with this because Akamaru was correct. A pup such as Kiba did not trash the reputation and take liberties with the mate of a different Alpha and clearly Kakashi was an Alpha just as Tsume was. Kuromaru went on to tell Tsume the girl had made it clear more than once she was not interested in Kiba. She was interested in her Alpha who was Kakashi and no one else.

Tsume had dragged Kiba down from his room where he had been plotting how to catch Natsu alone and force her to accept him as the better man. Hana was right beside her as they dragged Kiba out to their own practice yard for the beatdown of his life. Kakashi showed up before they got started barely controlled and definitely unconcealed rage eminating from every pore.

"Tsume, I realize you wish to handle this punk on your own. Please don't do that. That brat molested my wife in a public place in front of witnesses. I will trash him in the same manner he tried to dishonor her. Bring him to my team's practice field at ten. I want those who saw and heard what he did to my wife today to witness what I will do to them if they touch her without her permission. And that asshole tore her clothes, exposing her to everyone there today when she tried to walk away from the spar he intruded upon."

Fire burning in her eyes, Tsume growled, "He tore her clothing?" Hana added, "As she tried to leave?"

"Hai. Ask the dog if you don't believe me."

A few growls and a clearly upset puppy was on the field as well, hiding behind his Kaasan. Kuromaru spoke for Akamaru since he was so confused and ashamed he didn't know who he should speak to and the story spilled out from beginning to end. When she got the whole story Tsume turned on Kiba as did Hana. Both women growled at him anger clear in their eyes and posture. "You left bruises on her. You tore her clothing. You made her blood flow from your claws and licked it as if she were nothing but a mongrel dog. You intruded on the friendly spar of a comrade to do this to a fellow Leaf Nin! How DARE You call yourself my SON/BROTHER."

"You will show up at that training ground, Little Brother," said Hana prowling towards Kiba intent clear in her every move.

"You will fight without your nin pup since you do not value his advice, reputation or opinion enough to listen to him when he tells you something," said Tsume. "And you will have guards on you from now on until we know no woman has to fear what you will do to her should she say no and then get a different boyfriend or husband."

And so it was that the Inuzuka Clan escorted Kiba to the training field where his opponent was already waiting for him. Kakashi had seen the bruises on Natsu and the healing cuts and he had forced her to show him the torn clothing. It turned out that one top was not the only garment Kiba had torn of hers and she'd been hiding them from him until she could get them fixed. Sasuke, Ino, Hinata and Neji all stood with Natsu showing their support of her in this instance.

Kakashi opened things up. "So you think you are Alpha enough to take my woman from me do you? You think a pup like you has the right to touch my woman, to tear her clothing, to leave cuts and bruises on her person, to prevent her from going where she wishes to go or doing what she wishes to do. Since when is a little pup like you ever enough to challenge an Alpha? That isn't even how it's done, Pup. You want to be an Alpha, you challenge the Alpha himself. You don't skulk around and hurt his female. But you did. So now you will pay."

The Inuzuka Clan kept him in the ground and everyone else out though it was clear Kiba really wanted to run and equally clear Kakashi was holding back on him. Hiashi had heard of the incident and gone through Hinata's closets as well. He figured if Kiba was doing that stuff to Natsu than there was a good chance he had done the same things to Hinata that no one knew of. Every spot Kakashi had seen a bruise on his wife Kiba got a broken bone. Every spot a cut was healing on her he got a deeper one. By the time the spar ended Kiba was a bloody mess but alive.

"You will live today, Pup. Live to learn and spread the word. Leave my Wife alone. She is not a whore. She is not a mongrel dog and she is not free meat. She is my WIFE. But if you ever touch her again, you will die." Kakashi walked off the grass and over to Natsu, making it very clear as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her exactly who had that protected role for him.

When Kiba showed up in the emergency room for treatment, Sakura was on duty. She took one look at his injuries and smirked, "So Sensei got tired of you sniffing around Natsu-chan, huh?"

"Little slut is free for the claiming," Kiba whined. "No way are they married like she claims. I can turn her on and if she was truly as good of a girl as everyone says she is there's no way she'd been loose enough to sleep with your Sensei all the time."

"You know, Dog-Boy, I was there when they were married. So I do know they are indeed married. But even if they weren't, what the hell makes you think you in any way could ever compete with Sensei over any girl but especially Natsu-chan?"

"I'm younger. I have more stamina. I can keep going until she's worn out and panting for a break. That old man can't satisfy her the way I could and once I show her how much more satisfied I can make her she'll never look at another man again. Course Inuzuka's don't marry something another male has had so she'll never keep me but that's the life she's chosen."

She was sorely tempted to add to his injuries but she restrained herself with simple words. "You're disgusting. She's his wife, Kiba. Leave her alone or next time I'll let you suffer."

Kiba had spent a few more months trying to trash Natsu's reputation but with the guards from his own clan on him he never got a chance to physically assualt her again and evry time he said something out-of-line to another person about her it was reported to his Kaasan and sister. Both Hana and Tsume were very good with punishments for misbehaving puppies and after three months of cleaning kennels with a sand shovel, sand bucket and toothbrush without the benefit of gloves Kiba got the message. Whatever he personally thought of a female, he was not to bad-mouth them or physically harm them. Once he showed he had learned his lesson both his sister and Kaasan took him in hand and began socializing him lest something of this nature occur ever again. Kiba would not get another chance to prove he was man enough to live in polite society. If he did something of this nature again his clan would cast him off and lock him away where his bestial nature could not intrude on their society. Because of their bond with dogs Inuzuka were more aligned with the beast that resides in all men but only those who could control the beast were granted the freedom to live as normal men. Kiba had allowed himself to give in to the beast because he found Natsu attractive and the strength of the attraction had thrown him for a loop. Because he had not been expecting it, and did not know how to deal with it, he gave in to his baser instincts. By the time his clan found out about his behavior it was almost too late but they did manage to bring him back to his senses though his hair was now wilder than ever and his clan marks deeper, longer and darker than they had ever been. His nails were also longer and thicker showing how deeply he had been losing himself to the dog inside.

Sakura had taken a couple of weeks when the team came back to the village to really think things through and at her Kaasan's suggestion she began to study medicine, and loved it, when she was not working on her other skills with Kurenai's kunoichi team. The book work soothed her mind and spirit and the actual translation of what she read into real hands on events let her feel she was actually doing something good and necessary for the village. As soon as she waas ready to progress to actual field work Sarutobi switched her from working in the coding department to working at the hospital. It was a good fit for her.

She had met with Kabuto and discovered that Sasuke had asked him to run a genetic profile compatibility match-up for her with him to see what their children would have looked like and what the chances were of those children actually being the children they had. Kabuto had discovered Sakura would have given Sasuke sons but the boys would have had her candy pink hair and emerald green eyes. She also would have given him daughters and the probability statics had said that for each girl born there would be three boys. The probabilities showed there was more than a ninety-nine percent chance of the all of the children inheriting Sakura's hair color. The eye color dropped lower than that since green eye color is a recessive gene and not a dominant one. But the pink hair, which normally should be recessive, was anything but.

Kabuto told Sakura it was an aggressive gene trait, which basically meant it overrode whatever trait was supposed to be in it's place and rewrote that gene trait with itself. He also told Sakura she was not the sharing kind no matter what she had thought of herself. His statical information on compatibility had shown Sasuke there would never be harmony in the home if Sakura was one of his wives because she would turn everything into a competition. Kabuto had soothed her by telling her that wasn't a bad thing if the guy she married was not the last of his clan and expected to sire enough offspring to give it a jumpstart into real growth as Sasuke was and it was because of those factors that Sasuke had tried so hard to get it through her head to find someone else to like. Sasuke had known he couldn't ever marry her without making her miserable in the end.

The two of them had a lot of long talks about life and the way she had behaved and their childhoods. She found out Kabuto had been picked on because of his poor eyesight and white hair. He said he understood why she had fixated so strongly on Sasuke to find validation of herself after the torment of her peers over her hair color, wide forehead and high intelligence but he personally found her to be very easy on the eyes and to him her high intelligence was a necessity for him in a partner. He just couldn't settle for a stupid girl when there was someone he could actually hold intelligent conversations with.

They had started dating casually and it had progressed when Kabuto had found she was afraid to date anyone due to the way she had behaved when she'd been obsessed with catching Sasuke. To entice her into dating him, Kabuto had done the same kind of testing on himself and her that he had done for Sasuke, this time paying for the results himself. Then he had told Sakura how adorable he found their prospective children to be pointing out again that having always had bad eyesight and white hair, Kabuto knew all about being picked on and teased over what could not be changed and since her aggressive hair color would pass on to her children, their kids would be cuter than he had been when he was younger. It worked. Sakura found in Kabuto a guy who didn't think pink hair was gross or unnatural in their world and actually shared her field of interest with her. She found someone she could actually talk to without having to dumb herself down to air-head level and, since she had also been the subject of teasing growing up, she found someone she knew would understand and help her deal with their children when it was their turn to be picked on. She had been married to him for two years and now had a daughter of her own. Rozu was a darling little girl with light pink hair that was just a few shades lighter than her own and both Kabuto and Sakura loved her very much.

Sasuke got married to his two kunoichi when they all turned fourteen. It was a double the bride ceremony but Sasuke had been serious when he had said he would not choose one to be the matriarch over the other. In his eyes, the two girls were perfect compliments to each other and gave him a home he could truly be happy in. He still worked out with Sakura, Natsu and Kakashi but he was mainly taking time to spend with his wives and their children and being trained by Hiashi to fulfill his clan seat on the council. Miski had given him a daughter they had named Mikoto after Sasuke's mother and Ami had given him a son they named Toshui. No one knew why they chose Toshui as a name but mainly it was because Sasuke didn't want to honor any of the men from his clan. Toshui was neutral and all of them felt Kakashi would probably kick Sasuke's butt if he tried an abbreviated form of Natsu's name for any of his kids. Either as she was now or when she had been a boy.

Then a year after those two children came another son from Miski. This boy, he had asked for names from those he considered to be his friends. Kakashi suggested combining his wives names together to form Amiski. Sasuke said that would be fine if it were a girl and Ami's child but since it was a boy and Miski's than it would be inappropriate. Misake was Natsu's suggestion. She explained it was just a random combination of the letters of their names but definitely a boy name and would give the child the freedom to grow up being who he chose to be. Because it's just a random combination of letters there is no expected 'Oh he'll behave this way' or 'that way' crap to wade through. He'll be able to be himself. And so it was that Sasuke now had three children, Mikoto, Toshui and Misake and he couldn't be happier with them.

Itachi had stopped by once, under the cover of darkness, right after the wedding. It turned out he wanted to talk to Sasuke and discover if Sasuke had found out the truth of that night yet. Sasuke hadn't but he was brimming with questions over things that hadn't added up. Itachi went into his mind to see what his otouto was talking about and found the problem. Someone had erased a lot of what Itachi had shown him and what they left would have driven anyone bonkers trying to make sense of it. So then he'd cleared it all up for Sasuke, telling him why he could not come home at the same time.

He explained he had to stay with the Akatsuki until they imploded, which they were likely to do as they were all ego-maniacs to begin with and had entirely too much power without a decent amount of brains to direct said power correctly. He also told his brother he was not really any different from any of the other members of the rogue group no matter how much they might both wish to believe he was. He could not guarantee Sasuke the day wouldn't come when he honestly did try to capture the nine tails for the Akatsuki but so far he had no intention of doing any such thing. He was still in control of his own mind and power to understand just what a bad thing that would be for the world at large.

But he did tell Sasuke he had left him alive because Sasuke had the power to take the clan in a new direction so what had happened to it this time could not, and never would have to, happen again. He warned Sasuke not to encourage his children to unlock the bloodline, no matter what the council wished, as that was always the start of the descent into madness from which there was no return possible and only power would matter in the end. He told Sasuke flat-out he fought his own mind every single day to remain sane and not just go rampantly killing people for the power they had that he did not. Because, he said, the Sharingan has a form of sentience of it's own and it desires power. It's so quiet and unobtrusive that those who wield the Sharingan never realize until it's too late how often they have done as the eye wished them to just because the eye wished for it. He said he had watched as the clan had become obsessed with power turning good people into raving madmen lusting after other people's talents and bloodlines just because they had them but never again did he want to see the sharingan active in an Uchiha.

Then he had left asking if he could check up on the children from time to time, so long as he promised to do them no harm. Sasuke gave him permission but warned him not to get caught since he did not wish to witness his Aniki being put to death as well. But Sasuke had also promised that if the day ever came when Itachi truly did come to Konoha to capture the nine-tail for the Akatsuki, Sasuke would see him dead first. Itachi had smiled with relief in his eyes knowing Sasuke meant it.

Since then Sasuke had seen his Aniki three more times. Each time the visit corresponded with the birth of one of his children. Itachi had seemed calmer with each child's birth and after the last boy was born he had actually cried while he held the little boy with his mother's light green hair and muddy green eyes. "What is it, Aniki?" Sasuke had asked him.

"You did it, Otouto. He doesn't have the Sharingan bloodline. He has his own bloodline but it isn't the Sharingan. The Uchiha have a new lease on life through him. Keep him safe, Otouto. And when you die, name him to head the clan. Uchiha will become known for something other than thieves of the hard work of other ninja." Then Itachi had handed Sasuke back his son and left. How Itachi knew the boy didn't have the Sharingan but had something else was beyond Sasuke's ability to understand but then he wasn't the clan prodigy or the genius the villagers had touted him as being once Itachi had gone rogue.

Two days later, Itachi was found outside the borders of Konoha, dead by his own hand. Sasuke had his body returned to the village and buried in the family graveyard much to the protest of the villagers but Sasuke tuned them all out, saying, "Itachi was my brother. Always was and always will be. He deserves to rest with the rest of the clan and, as he grew up the pride of the clan, it is only fitting he be laid to rest between our parents. He was their pride and joy." Natsu and Kakashi, Sakura and Kabuto as well as the Uchiha wives back him up. The next child was born by Ami and there was no question but that this son would be named Itachi. The dark haired little boy with sad black eyes looked exactly like Sasuke's older brother. And so after two years of marriage Sasuke already had four children. One little girl and three little boys. Two wives can really make a difference in child production.

Tsunade had been brought back to the village six months earlier when Sarutobi had found out Natsu was finally pregnant. He told Jiraiya to go get her. Jiraiya wanted to take Natsu along alone but Kakashi put his foot down very firmly on that idea telling the renown pervert he could just go whistle dixie if he thought Kakashi would stand for him watching Yoosei sleep, change or bathe. Jiraiya had blinked at him for a minute before turning to look at Sarutobi asking if Kakashi was seriously telling him what he thought he was.

Sarutobi had smirked at his student and told him in no uncertain terms Kakashi had already hospitalized four men that month he caught making perverted comments on Yoosei, as everyone called her, and her taijutsu routine and six men he caught actually making a pass at her. Two more he wasn't sure would live after Kakashi had caught them actually trying force Yoosei to go with them and even if they did live Sarutobi wasn't sure he let them stay that way anyhow. And Sarutobi pointed out it's not even the seventh day of the month yet.

Jiraiya had turned to Kakashi very slowly looking at him in shocked disbelief and told him, "Not even your Otousan was this crazy about a girl. She's just a female."

"Nope. Not even close. She's my little Yoosei." And so because Jiraiya didn't feel he could return Tsunade without Natsu's help he ended up taking Kakashi along with them. He saw first hand just how protective Kakashi was of the small girl and just how willing he was to beat the shit out of anyone he felt crossed the line with her. And that line was very very . . .finely defined.

But he also saw Natsu had Kakashi well in hand also. She only let him beat up guys who crossed her line as well. And hers was a lot more relaxed than his was though Jiraiya did seem to find his way across it rather easily. She wasn't as bothered by innuendo as Kakashi was but actions were a different story altogether. Comments on different women's attributes to Kakashi, wherein he required Kakashi to actually look at said attributes, got Jiraiya more than one beating from both Natsu and Kakashi.

Tsunade got an absolute kick out of the small girl but it wasn't until she'd discovered Natsu was to have a child that she'd agreed to return to the village. One exam of Natsu had told her the chances were good both Mother and Child would die if she did not tend to this pregnancy herself and from the way Kakashi behaved, he would follow Natsu soon after if she did die. The teenaged girl was his whole world and without her he would not be able to find something else to hold onto. Like his Otousan, Kakashi would follow his wife to the grave. But unlike Sakumo, Kakashi would not be able to hang onto their child the way Sakumo had. For one thing, even she could see Kakashi loved Natsu way more than Sakumo had loved Kakashi's mom. Tsunade was tempted to abort the child for them but she knew the child of the Copy-Cat Nin was a sought after commodity to the village as was the child of the Nine-tails vessel. And no matter how much the village might think the vessel was a boy she knew Kyuubi was sealed in the small four foot nine and a half inch girl. So she had returned to the village with them to oversee the pregnancy herself. She took Sakura as an apprentice and showed her how to care for Natsu should the tiny girl ever get pregnant again, explaining why each step was necessary due to her unique complications.

But by the time the child was finally born, Kakashi swore to high heaven he was never going to allow Natsu to do this again. Once of watching her almost die on him was more than enough. His fellow jounins had spent the last month of her pregnancy taking him out for drinks just to keep him sane and settled enough not to demand that Tsunade get the huge freaking kid out of his Yoosei right this Kami damned minute. Everyone was torn between sympathy for Kakashi and Natsu and outright amusement over the issue but no one could deny they were very relieved to have Tsunade in the village when it was time for the baby to be born. Because of her healing factor, pain relief was fleeting at best. Because of her small size actually passing the child from her womb was almost impossible but Tsunade knew a jutsu to cause Natsu's hips to spread wider for the child's passage. And it was due to her being there that the bleeding was stopped before Natsu could bleed to death. Kyuubi had all it could do to maintain Natsu's chakra coils long enough for her to regain enough chakra to survive the process. That left more mundane healing to Tsunade and the other medics.

The little boy had silver hair like his father but Natsu's sky blue eyes. Kakashi was happy with his son but he was even happier that Natsu had survived the child's birthing. Only when she had stopped bleeding completely did he totally relax though and allow himself to enjoy being a father as well as a husband. They decided to give him a name uniquely his own and not connected to the past or people he would never know. They named him Atarashii for the fresh start he represented for them.

Tsunade took over the reins of the village and let Sarutobi retire. He spent most of his time sitting with Kakashi's son bouncing on his knees remembering when it was Natsu he held the same way and glad his village had returned to it's youthful vigor of the days before her birth. One of the things he had told Tsunade was the truth of why the village thought they were free of the Nine-tail Fox finally and he told her to never ever give into any pressure to call for his return since doing so would only ruin Natsu and Kakashi's lives as well as endanger Atarashii.

With Iruka, Hiashi, Koharu, Homura, and Kiku all backing up the old man's stories of the hell that the village had put Natsu, as Naruto, through she couldn't deny it would not be good for the village to dredge it all up again. The village seemed to have finally put the incident behind them and, like Sarutobi, she just couldn't see any reason to drag it back out. She didn't see any need for the original members of Team Seven to leave the village so they remained home bound which when she informed them of her decision, caused all four to look at each other, and their spouses, before bursting into laughter. "What's so funny?" she asked. "Sensei said he told you, you would be free to resume missions once you two guys had produced a child. You've both got a son now so I'm just heading off the requests before you can file them."

Kakashi told her, "We knew once we realized what he did on that mission when they were thirteen we'd never leave the village again. Natsu, Sasuke and I are all too well known in our own ways as being who we are. Sakura, because she was a part of our team and a part of that mission is also just as well known now. We leave the village, we leave our children vulnerable and since we are a team of orphans for the most part that would be a very bad idea."

Sakura took over. "Natsu is known far and wide for who her Otousan and Kaasan were. Even if her Otousan is the only person Konoha counts as important, the rest of the world is not that dense. And then there are the people that know what happened the day she was born. They are after her for it. There just isn't a whole lot of safe places for her to go. So we knew Sandaime-sama had no intention of letting her stick her big toe across the village line."

Kabuto smirked and said, "They even tested it once. Had her walk five paces down the road from where they were doing gate duty. Before she could turn around and ask for her next instructions she was surrounded by Anbu on full guard and ready to repel anyone trying to take her away from here."

Tsunade sprayed her tea across her desk and coughed for a few minutes as her assistant handed her a towel to wipe it up. While she was recovering, Sasuke took his turn speaking. He had loosened up over the years with two wives at his side pushing him to express what he really thought and felt more often. He still wasn't outspoken by any means but the girls had gone a long way toward helping him be more comfortable being a person who was and always would be an icon to his village. "But it isn't just Natsu who keeps us tied here. It really is all of us. Kakashi must stay for Natsu and their son. Natsu must stay for Kakashi and their son just as much. Sakura has a good job and a good career she loves, a husband who loves her and a daughter she thinks the world of. She must stay for them as well. Just as Natsu and Kakashi work best together so do Kabuto and Sakura. As for me, I must stay and see to it my children never become what their ancestors did and needed to be destroyed over. I must stay to do my best to prevent another clan massacre in the future. That job takes precedence over any other job because it is the future of my children we are talking about here."

Kakashi summed it up for her. "It's really pretty simple, Hokage-sama. None of us wish to leave our children in the same mess our parents left us. Sakura had a Kaasan but she grew up knowing if anything happened to one of them the other was alone. Totally alone. The rest of us did grow up alone. We know exactly how bad that is and we will not leave our kids to grow up that way so long as we have the option of changing it."

Natsu wrapped it up for them all, "Team Seven is content, Baa-chan. We do not wish to go anywhere either together or alone on different teams."


End file.
